


What She Was Missing

by Ultimatefan



Series: What She Was Missing [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A Monthly Rumbelling, Dildos, F/M, Fellatio, Groping, Guess what time it is, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, IT'S THOMAS O' MALLEY TIME MOTHER FUCKERS, Lingerie, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Orgasm, Pining, Posh Cat is Posh, Rough Kissing, Sherrilyn Kenyon - Freeform, Thomas O' Malley, and chivalrous Mr. Gold does things to me, and then Belle and Gold were like NOPE THIS OTHER THING IS HAPPENING NOW, brief Red Beauty, casablanca - Freeform, it was supposed to be all fluffy and cute, sexually inexperienced Belle is fucking adorable actually, this is what I get for writing fics while on my period, vibrating panties, what is my life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-08-10 13:02:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7846114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultimatefan/pseuds/Ultimatefan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a drunken Belle lets a bunch of her darkest sexual fantasies she has involving a certain handsome Scottish gentleman (that she has a HUGE crush on) slip while having a girl's night with her best friends Ruby and Emma, Ruby takes it upon herself to get Belle to visit a website she highly recommends because reasons. Also some absolutely ridiculous shit happens. And posh cat is fucking posh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Getting Good Vibes

**Author's Note:**

> So, like, this was SUPPOSED to be a one-shot for the August 2016 Monthly Rumbelling (*with the NSFW prompt being 'vibrating panties LOL), but then peeps be like OH SWEET MOTHER OF SMUT PLEASE TELL ME THERE'S GONNA BE ANOTHER CHAPTER. and brain was just kinda like *ponders the thought for like literally 5 seconds* WHY YES, AS A MATTER OF FACT, THERE IS! *evil laugh* *proceeds to conceive entire storyline around the original chapter*  
> SO YEAH! THIS IS A THING NOW I GUESS! :D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .....I KNOW, THE TITLE IS LIKE THE MOST ORIGINAL DAMN THING EVER, IT'S FUCKING GREAT *sarcasm* *facedesk so hard I break the damn desk in half*
> 
> This fic was supposed to be simple and pervy, and then my fucking feels just kinda vomited all over the place and this fic came out of it, and I regret absolutely nothing.
> 
> Also, I totally didn't even figure out how vibrating panties actually fucking work before writing this cause my brain was just like 'NO, I NEED TO WORD VOMIT ALL OVER TODAY', and I basically fucking blinked and was like 'oh, hot damn, I got The Monthly Rumbelling prompt done in ONE DAY, fuck yeah!', so if this ends up being totally NOT how vibrating panties work, that's why. Just sayin'.
> 
> (*Warning: VERY sick animals are mentioned and shit gets sad for a second just fyi)

          Belle French was a normal, healthy young woman who had… _needs_ , just like any other normal, healthy young woman.

            At least, this is what she kept repeating to herself like a mantra as she nervously opened up a new Internet browser window on her laptop. Granted, why she seemed to occasionally refer to herself in the third-person was a mystery to even her. She already knew she was different than a lot of other girls (and probably just _people_ in general) her age, but this could have been pushing it even for _her_. Thank goodness she was making attempts to get out and socialize more…  
  
            All it had taken last night was a bottle of wine, and viewing some rom-coms during a girl’s night with Ruby and Emma for a bunch of _incredibly_ dirty fantasies to slip from her lips, much to the delighted shock of her friends. They both knew that Belle was not all that romantically experienced from the types of questions she’d practically stutter to them sometimes, so this was _mind_ _blowing_. Honestly, it made them seriously wonder if she happened to have a massive ‘erotic literature’ stash under her bed, or if maybe she actually _did_ look up Internet porn late at night, despite her swearing up and down that ‘she’d do no such thing’. Regardless, like the good friends they were, they didn’t judge her in the slightest, even sometimes _agreeing_ with some of the things she was drunkenly saying she’d love to do and whatnot.

 

            When it got quite late, Ruby very sweetly took Belle home, figuring it might be better for her to wake up in her own bed tomorrow morning rather than on Emma’s couch, leaving a _very_ tall glass of water and some aspirin along with a little note next to her bed for when Belle woke up in the morning.  
  
            This is what led to our adorable, awkward heroine to be huddled under a mass of blankets, nursing a throbbing headache, and typing in the web address of a website Ruby personally recommended checking out via a sweet little note that had also told her to drink up the water Ruby left for her, eat a good breakfast if she could stomach it, and let her know how she was doing when she could read her note clearly.

 

            Poor Belle’s face _immediately_ turned bright red with embarrassment when the webpage finally loaded, despite the fact she was the only person in the room, let alone the only person in her little flat above the library. This was a subtly named website that sold sex toys, sexy lingerie, what seemed like _years_ worth of pornographic DVDs and all sorts of things that Belle had never dared to look up herself out of sheer embarrassment.  
  
            She was about to close the tab and pretend this never happened, when the clever website flashed an advertisement for a sale they were having. She cocked her head, staring at the small little box for a minute, until she gave into temptation and clicked it. Almost any time a sale of any kind was mentioned, she was on it like white on rice, unable to resist her greatest weakness. Well, ‘greatest’ if she wasn’t counting…. a _certain somebody_ among those weaknesses.  
  
            One of the first things that had crossed her mind this morning, besides a horrid throbbing that had started to take place, was her praying to _any_ deity that would listen that she hadn’t blabbed any of her darkest desires last night while ‘hanging out’ with her friends. She loved them to death, but it would probably take her a bit more time to feel comfortable about fully opening up to them about the things she was feeling. True, she asked them occasional questions about these things, but she tried to keep it as general as possible, not wanting them to suspect anything. It’s not that she didn’t trust them, it was more that Ruby and Emma were truly some of the first _best_ friends she had ever had. She had friends and acquaintances in the past, especially when she went to college, sure, but these were the first two people that she felt genuinely comfortable around, and wasn’t as afraid to open herself up to possible criticism in front of them. Although, she’d be lying if she said that her _certain somebody_ wasn’t starting to wiggle his way into her heart like Ruby and Emma did as well.  
  
            When Storybrooke had opened up their public library again, Belle jumped at the chance to obtain the open librarian position. This was the perfect chance to share her love of books with others, and hopefully get to know some new people as well. Before she had even gotten to know Ruby and Emma better, _he_ had come into the library, and approached the circulation desk.  
  
            The mysterious man was just so… _majestic_. From the way he walked, to the way he looked at people when he was talking to them. People seemed to practically flinch if he happened to look their way first, and, for the life of her, she didn’t really understand why. She sensed that they were flinching with _fear_ , but when he looked at _her_ , she flinched with… well, _something_ she couldn’t quite identify as of yet. He looked directly at her, with his brown eyes practically staring into her soul. It took her a minute to remember how to speak the English language, with the delightful shiver that ran down her spine almost completely silencing her, with the exception of an adorable little squeak of nervousness.  
  
            She immediately turned red, barely stammering out a “Can I help you find something specific today?” before looking away from him a little, trying to regain her senses.  
  
            She hadn’t seen it, but she could practically _feel_ a small smile form on his face that was meant for her, making her heart skip a beat. He had quietly asked her if the library had any books on metalsmithing, as he needed to find a very specific detail about the subject that he couldn’t quite recall to help him finish a repair he was working on. She took a calming breath, and then turned to her computer to locate all the titles involving metalsmithing that they had on hand. She wrote down the titles for him in her nicest scripted handwriting, listed the sections they were each in, and even described how to get to each one. He simply nodded his head politely as she spoke, then thanked her for her ‘assistance’, and started heading towards one of the specific sections. When he was far enough away, she let herself emit a happy, practically love-struck-sounding sigh, wearing just about the goofiest expression she’d ever made in her life.  
           

            From that point on, she very much looked forward to his visits to the library. It was nice even just to see his beautiful face every day, but the day he had not only properly introduced himself as ‘Mr. Gold’, but placed a gentle kiss upon her hand like a knight in shining armor straight out of one of her fairy tales, had been one of the best days of her life, practically leaving her swooning (much to her embarrassment) afterwards. Over time, they had begun to have small chats that didn’t necessarily have to do with books, which she particularly liked, no matter how short they seemed. He would insist that he let her get back to work after a certain point in the conversation, always leaving her wanting more… and if she were honest with herself, she wasn’t just referring to _talking_ …  
  
            She had been attracted to people before, with the occasional boy making her stomach do flips, or making her blush nervously as he walked past her, but this was far more powerful than any romantic attraction she had experienced before. She had always considered herself a hopeless romantic at heart, but Mr. Gold managed to take it to a whole different level. In fact, recalling his handsome face and hearing his voice in her head had caused her to, for the first time in her life, maneuver a single hand under the waistband of her panties and intimately touch herself one seemingly sleepless night. At this point, she had been starting to become good friends with Ruby, whom she very shyly asked about this act. Ruby had smiled sweetly, given her ‘blessing’, and even taught her a few tricks she could try, wishing her luck in her endeavors. Belle counted her blessings, feeling very lucky to have found such an understanding friend.

 

            ‘Getting herself off’ had become almost a sort of fun ‘challenge’ for her, now almost excitedly diving under the sheets just before bedtime damn near every night to try and reach her ‘peak’. It had taken her what felt like _far_ too many nights, but finally, one glorious night, she did it, practically gasping for breath before moaning with pleasure while finding her release. For a moment, all she could do was sit there in the darkness, shakily breathing as she felt herself twitch occasionally from the aftershock of her first orgasm. As if possessed, she began to giggle girlishly, then full-on laugh out loud, feeling more joyful than she had in years, despite her tired muscles making her lay limp in her bed. Something had snapped in her that night, which she later determined must have been her sexual awakening, and it had all been thanks to Mr. Gold. She felt that a line of sorts had been crossed that day, but Lord knows she never wanted to go back.  
  
            She still felt like that to this day, giggling cutely as she now shamelessly browsed the website Ruby recommended she check out, eyeing some things she actually thought were kind of cute, and even daring to add some to the virtual shopping cart in the top right corner. She was definitely _quite_ far from being perverted, if some of the things Ruby would let slip was a ‘proper’ comparison, but she had to admit that she was enjoying taking charge of her sexuality. Starting about a week and a half ago, she had even taken to finding some cute, shorter-length dresses, rather than the longer ones she typically wore when she worked at the library, actually feeling a bit more confident in her appearance.  
  
            In fact, a specific set of panties and a bra she had moved into the cart went quite well with one of these newer dresses she had bought. The dress was simple; blue (her favorite color, of course), sleeveless, strapless, and practically made for her. She felt like an absolute champ when Mr. Gold had walked into the library one day while she was wearing it, and visibly damn near tripped over his cane when he saw her, disrupting his normally powerful-feeling stride.

 

            Belle had never really set out to ‘impress’ people per say, since she believed in seeking people out for their kindness and interesting personality before their physical looks, but at that moment, she absolutely glowed with pride, knowing that _she_ was the one who made _him_ temporarily lose his cool for once, and even make him blush a little as he talked to her. That dress became her absolute favorite out of the ones she bought, bar none.  
  
            Belle wriggled around excitedly as she went to pay for the new things she wanted to purchase. She did flinch a little when seeing the total ring up, but frankly, she had a savings account entirely devoted to helping her afford new clothes and things when she needed them, and she couldn’t find it in her to care at the moment. She had even splurged and bought a vibrator as well for the hell of it, pushing her total into the wonderful realm of free 2-day shipping. She giggled when viewing the cart one last time, noticing that apparently the sale the store was having including a ‘buy three [pairs of panties], and get a ‘mystery pair’ free’, which she _definitely_ got considering how much she bought. She figured a drawer full of pretty lingerie might do her some good, despite them making a bit of a dent in her bank account.  
  
            Right after she had hit the ‘confirm’ button, and closed her laptop to finally get dressed for the day and each a nice [at this point] brunch, she heard a rather elegant meow coming from the kitchen.  
  
            “Oh, I’m sorry, Duchess! You must be starving, poor thing! I didn’t mean to keep you waiting that long!” Belle cooed, hurrying to the kitchen to feed the gorgeous white cat standing there.

 

            Not too long after Belle had moved into town and gotten settled in, a very wealthy madam who lived on the outskirts of Storybrooke had passed away, leaving a bunch of cats in her estate without a caretaker. The poor woman had no other family, leaving all that she possessed to her precious cats according to her will so they were cared for properly when she passed on. Upon closer inspection of said will, a butler had been mentioned, but the man’s name was thoroughly scratched out, leaving no one to care for them.

 

            The madam had very generously donated funds to all kinds of organizations in Storybrooke in the past, including paying for numerous repairs that were needed in the local church, having a brand new playground installed at the elementary school in place of the one that was practically falling apart, and even donating numerous, lovely older books to the library, along with supplying some beautifully restored, older furniture that had been in her family for generations to use for a corner of the library to help encourage the start of book clubs. Helping maintain and update one of her estates used to house stray cats was the least the townsfolk could do to honor her memory.

 

            The beautiful mansion (that, interestingly, was a _vacation home_ of all things) where the cats all lived was slowly being restored and made easier and more convenient for the cats to live in with the help of the madam’s funds to care for them. The city council and the townspeople had also decided it was a good idea to temporarily house the pampered felines in more stable environments so the loud machinery and numerous people working on the mansion wouldn’t scare them, or, God forbid, accidentally get one of them injured in the process. It took quite a bit of patience and time, but the volunteers managed to get the cats into good foster homes where they were all comfortable and happy, except for one very stubborn, beautiful, and virtually unmovable regal white cat.

 

            Poor Duchess was quite depressed after the madam’s passing, barely eating anything, and practically refusing to acknowledge the existence of anyone who had tried to care for her despite her becoming incredibly thin and sickly from a lack of care. They’d leave food and water for her as close to her as they could, but if someone happened to get _too_ close, she would begin to hiss and swipe at them angrily with her slightly elongated claws. The animal shelter volunteers were getting desperate; the last thing they wanted to do was see the once gorgeous feline literally die of a broken heart. Belle had been the one who stepped up to the plate one fateful day, becoming the shelter’s last hope of having Duchess let someone save her life.  
  
            She was taken to the beautiful mansion, and shown around the estate, with the volunteers explaining the situation in greater detail. As she was guided through the mansion, Belle remembered the time that the madam attended the library’s grand reopening, with her briefly meeting Belle as she mingled with the people gathered there. The woman had aged gorgeously, looking incredibly regal and put together for someone getting close to ninety years old. She walked with the assistance of a cane, but one would never suspect how much pain she actually endured with every step she took while holding her most faithful cat, Duchess, in one arm, smiling brightly all the while.  
  
            Duchess had taken an immediate liking to Belle during that time in the library, jumping out of the madam’s arms and rubbing Belle’s legs affectionately. The woman had simply laughed, claiming that Belle looked a lot like the madam herself did when she had been a young and vibrant actress way back when. Sadly, this was the last public appearance the madam ever made.

 

            As Belle got closer to where the volunteers said Duchess would be, she noticed that there were pictures of the madam while she was in her youth adorned on old records, beautiful paintings, and all sorts of memorabilia that the woman had kept over the years, and, much to Belle’s surprise, the madam had been right. It was no wonder Duchess practically recognized and took a shining to Belle with how strikingly similar the two of them looked, even though Duchess had only seen the youthful madam in the very same pictures Belle now saw.

  
            Belle finally slowly walked into the room where Duchess lay sleeping. She should have known that Duchess would be lying loyally on the foot of the madam’s large four-poster bed. Belle could barely hold back a sob when seeing the poor cat’s withered appearance, with practically the only evidence of the cat being alive being the shallow breathing that barely made her lungs expand.  
  
            Duchess’ head had perked up a little when she sensed someone new was in the room with her. She weakly turned her head towards Belle, with the two of them simply looking at one another for a moment. After what seemed like forever, Duchess rose to her feet for the first time in nearly a week, and jumped down off the bed, briefly crumpling to the ground with pain. She slowly walked over to Belle as gracefully as she could muster, and weakly mewed before falling to the ground once again from hunger and exhaustion. The animal shelter volunteers unanimously agreed that Belle was the best, if not _only_ , choice to care for the beautiful feline in the madam’s stead, helping supply her with everything she’d need to assist poor Duchess on her road to recovery.  
  
            Belle placed Duchess’s elegant bowl on the floor, and watched her eat, smiling sweetly. Once Belle had nursed her back to health, she found that Duchess was chock-full of personality, despite how stoic and poised she seemed sometimes. Belle felt that even this gorgeous cat wore a bit of a mask to keep up a certain type of appearance to the public, not doubt similar to what a lot of people did in life, but most of all, strikingly similar to the mysterious Mr. Gold.

           

            When Duchess most likely had thought Belle wasn’t looking, she would enthusiastically chase toy mice, and actually act like an ordinary cat for a bit until Belle would reenter the room, causing Duchess to freeze in place like a small child being caught with a hand in the cookie jar, drop whatever she was doing, and elegantly groom herself as if nothing had just transpired. Belle had made the mistake of giggling at this once, causing Duchess to actually _ignore_ her for a day straight. She definitely didn’t make that mistake again, but she would still buy Duchess nice new toys when she could, with the two of them having what felt like a silent understanding with one another that she absolutely loved, and wouldn’t trade for anything.  
  
            “Guess what, girl? I actually spoiled _myself_ for once today!” she giggled, briefly petting Duchess’ soft fur before sitting down on a kitchen chair.  
  
            Duchess meowed, jumping into Belle’s lap and pawed at a fancy brush on the table before contentedly curling up in her lap, waiting expectantly for what she wanted Belle to do. She simply smiled and began to brush Duchess’ soft fur while she gently scratched underneath her chin, making the cat purr with delight.

 

            Belle’s imagination was racing with all kinds of dirty fantasies of her and Gold in her library, with a majority of them either involving Gold ‘accidentally’ getting a peek at some of her new purchases, or her just flat out stripping in front of him, leaving him speechless and incredibly hard for her as she stood in front of him in nothing but a bra and panties, crooking a finger at him before he’d kiss her senseless and absolutely fuck her brains out behind the circulation desk. Granted, she didn’t think she’d _ever_ pull those kind of incredibly bold and forward moves in front of him, but it was still fun to imagine herself in that fashion. Although, who knows? Maybe she actually _would_ have the courage to do something like that someday, but for now, the baby steps she was taking were good enough.  
  
**************  
  
            The weekend came and went, with her quickly and excitedly obtaining her expected package first thing on Monday morning. She immediately hid the new vibrator; not wanting to take the chance that Duchess would mistake it for a new toy. Belle then tried on all the lingerie she ordered in front of her full-length mirror, delighting in how incredibly _sexy_ she felt, despite her still having some insecurities with how she looked. Duchess sat beside her the whole time, watching her as she tried on clothing, meowing in what Belle could swear sounded like _agreement_ after she thoroughly examined each article.  
  
            Belle cut the tags off her new purchases and stuck them in her hamper to wash before fully dressing for work. She then picked up the box everything had arrived in, about to take it out to recycling when she noticed something else underneath the elegant tissue paper. That’s _right_! They had promised a free ‘mystery pair’ with her other purchases! She put the box back down, and removed the ‘mystery pair’ from the box. Duchess practically looked just as confused as Belle did when the two of them looked over the pair of underwear Belle now held in her hands. It was a pretty, bold red color with a black lace trim. It looked much more like something Ruby would wear, but hey, a free pair of panties was still free! She tried them on, being pleasantly surprised with the way they fit her. She and Duchess seemed to nod in approval before Belle made the (sort of) mistake of checking her watch.  
  
            She panicked, realizing that she had to have the library open in less than ten minutes, and she was barely ready for the day. Poor Belle raced around, cleaning her flat a little so Duchess would be more comfortable while she was gone as she usually did, quickly throwing her hair up into a bun, brushing her teeth and snagging a piece of toast along with the box she still needed to recycle. Little did she know that on her way out the door, something else happened to fall out of the corner of the box, landing in the middle of her small, carpeted living room before she practically slammed the door behind her.  
  
*********  
  
            Mr. Gold was an ordinary man. A simple, ordinary man who could lose his cool over a woman’s appearance much like any other simple, ordinary man.

 

            At least, this is what he kept repeating to himself like a mantra after he had walked out of the public library one day after seeing the already beautiful librarian looking absolutely _divine_ in a sleeveless, strapless dress that was seemingly made just for her. He didn’t have much time to consider why on Earth he was referring to himself in the third person, since he was busy half-snarling at people who tried to approach him on his way back to his pawnshop while he carried a couple of borrowed books in his arms. He knew he was referred to as the ‘Monster of Storybrooke’, and was already considered quite odd by many, but he now figured he was pushing it a bit, even for _him_. Thank goodness he was at least _attempting_ to start fresh and befriend someone who, at least _hopefully_ , hadn’t heard quite all the rumors that were spread about him.  
  
            It was quite refreshing walking into the library during its grand reopening and seeing a face that he, for once, actually _didn’t_ recognize. The woman’s looks matched her name, making poor Mr. Gold too nervous to approach her at that time, and had cursed himself for his cowardice. He was aware that young Belle French had moved into town, hoping to become the town’s new librarian, but that’s all he really knew about her. As a matter of fact, that’s _all_ the town had known about her for a good while, as she seemed to keep to herself quite a bit. She had hardly ever even left her hotel room at Granny’s Bed and Breakfast, choosing to mingle with her books instead of people more often than not. This remained true even when she landed the librarian position, and moved to the flat above the library. Granted, now her time was being majorly spent working on restoring the library to its former glory rather than reading all day, but she still holed herself up quite a bit, until the outgoing Ms. Lucas had one day boldly sat across from Belle while she was reading _The Call of the Wild_.  
  
            Belle had _immediately_ perked up when Ruby mentioned that _The Call of the Wild_ was actually one of her favorite books. Gold had been present for this, along with some other Storybrooke citizens who glanced over in their direction curiously, wondering how this was going to play out. The two women hit it off surprisingly well, chatting about the book’s plot, and eventually going into other subjects, eventually giggling like a couple of teenage girls.

           Granny smiled at seeing this. Ruby knew what it was like to move to a new place where she knew nobody, and feel quite lonely until someone finally worked up the courage to talk to her. Normally, Granny would’ve barked at her granddaughter to get back to work, claiming that she didn’t have time to talk people’s ears off while there were other customers to serve, but this time, she left it alone. She could tell that Ruby and Belle would become very close by the way they now laughed together, and letting their friendship grow into a strong flame was something that they both needed right then.  
  
            After a bit, people had looked away from them, digging back into their meals, reading material, or all of the above, but not Mr. Gold. He couldn’t help but be in awe over the seemingly anti-social little librarian suddenly light up, and practically become a whole different person when given the time of day, eerily similar to Mr. Gold himself. He found that she had a rather alluring lilting accent that was a delight to listen to, and her laughter was absolutely heavenly. He couldn’t help but want to get to know Ms. French a bit more after that. How could anybody _not_ want to get to know her after witnessing that?  
  
            A couple days after that, he nervously walked into the library, using practically every bit of concentration he had to slip on the mask that had once lured his ex-wife to his side, stupidly not really knowing what else to do. Her face reddened, with her letting out an embarrassed squeak before asking if she could help him find something specific. His heart went out to her, knowing how crippling shyness felt, and admiring the extraordinary amount of courage it took for her to take on a job where she was forced to mingle with people on a daily basis, whether she truly wanted to or not.  
  
            He smiled sweetly, requesting some info on metalsmithing. She turned to the computer beside her, almost instantly finding resources he could use. She wrote them down in a gorgeous scripted handwriting and sent him on his way. When he was far enough away from her, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. She was too adorable for words, and even though some more shallow people might describe her as ‘frumpy’ looking overall, he truly didn’t mind it. In fact, he found it rather endearing.  
  
            He didn’t really consider himself a ‘feminist’ as such (or at least the type of feminist that the media warped into what they wanted anyways), but he believed that a woman shouldn’t need to wear a skimpy dress or impossibly high heels or makeup to be considered conventionally ‘pretty’. He even thought the same thing regarding Ms. Lucas, honestly wishing that she didn’t feel like she needed to wear the things she wore to get attention from men she liked, and desperately hoping she didn’t push that mentality onto sweet, little Belle.  
  
            He and Belle began talking more every day he was in the library, which he rather enjoyed; however, problems started to arise when her beauty was starting to affect him more than he cared to admit. He had finally formally introduced himself one day, and out of what he thought must have _surely_ been a stroke of insanity, gently placed a gentlemanly kiss on one of her tiny hands. He had even flashed her a rather debonair smile afterwards, despite feeling like he might actually implode on the spot.  
  
            Not too long after that, he had entered the library one day to discover her wearing an absolutely gorgeous blue dress that exposed her arms and shoulders, and even the top of her chest, with the dress (or possibly just the type of bra she wore that day) leaving the tops of her pert little breasts exposed just the tiniest bit, leaving him longing to see more. He had first laid eyes on her when she happened to be leaning over to grab something off the floor, and, God help him, he almost had a heart-attack right there on the spot. When she leaned over, the dress rode up to where he could see the backs of her thighs, with the edge barely covering her rounded ass, leaving him wondering if she was fully aware of what she was potentially letting other people see. He swallowed hard, feel his cock twitch just before she stood back up fully and waved at him politely upon seeing him. He damn near tripped over his cane, not only feeling flustered due to her appearance, but desperately hoping she hadn’t caught him basically staring at her behind like a horny teenager…  
  
            From that point onwards, he tried very hard to stick to ‘safe’ topics when they talked. He would make a swift escape when they would either somehow start heading towards what he deemed ‘unsafe’ topics, or if he was ultimately afraid he’d embarrass himself in the worst possible way in front of her. He would insist that she probably had a lot of work to do, and he needed to pick up a certain book rather quickly so he could get back to work himself. He hated to leave her hanging, since he always wanted more… and if he were honest with himself, he wasn’t just referring to _talking_ …  
  
            After a certain point, he deemed this officially ‘pathetic’, telling himself he needed to step up his game, and finally ask her out, which was what brought him into the library late one Monday afternoon. He purposefully showed up when closing time was rapidly approaching, just in case he made a total ass of himself so he could excuse himself and let her close the library if need be.  
  
            He approached the circulation desk; nervously holding a single rose in front of him, but then stopped when he noticed she wasn’t there. He looked around for a bit, wondering where she could have possibly gone, until he finally spotted her up on a ladder, and a very _high_ ladder at that. A ladder so high, in fact, that he could yet again see the backs of her legs as she leaned from side to side, putting books back in their proper places, despite this dress not being the blue one he favored so much. He loudly cleared his throat, not really knowing what else to do to get her attention. She froze for a moment before looking in his direction, then smiled brightly at him. She waved cutely, telling him to wait a moment so she could come over there.  
  
            Once she did, he nervously extended his hand, giving her the rose he brought for her. He had caught her reading _Beauty and the Beast_ recently, and figured this was a rather fitting gift. She gasped, with her mouth falling open in surprise. Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink as she took the flower from him and thanked him ‘ever so much for the beautiful present’, and that he ‘shouldn’t have’. Conveniently, she actually had a small vase behind the circulation desk, claiming that she had wanted to have a flower or something near her for quite some time, but never got around to getting one herself, saying that this would be a lovely addition to the things on her desk. Mr. Gold inwardly cheered at this remark, figuring this was a good sign, but still tried to be a bit cautious, not wanting to get _too_ cocky and muck it all up.

 

            While she filled the vase with some water and slipped the beautiful rose into it, they began to talk again like they usually did, but with them both being a bit nervous and fidgety at this point. They both seemed to know that there was a single question hanging over them that they did want to bring to light, but the poor dears were so nervous that they kept stumbling around it.  
  
            All of the sudden, while they were talking, Belle gasped, freezing on the spot, with her eyes growing wide. Her cheeks turned red, and it seemed like she was forcing herself to keep looking him in the eye if one of her eyes slightly twitching was any indication. It was an odd little pause in their conversation, but Gold found himself more concerned about her well being, as she seemed to be in some distress.  
  
            “Are… are you _alright_ , Ms. French?” he asked politely.  
  
            Belle put a hand on her chest, and took a deep, calming, yet slightly shaky breath, before nodding and reassuring him that she was.  
  
            She tried to pick the conversation back up where it had stopped, but not even ten seconds into it, she froze again, with even her _ears_ now turning red while her face only grew redder, quickly competing with the rose’s petals. She let out a little squeak before quickly covering her mouth and turning away from him, white knuckling the desk with her other hand.  
  
            “Sweetheart, really, you’re starting to worry me. Can I help you in some way?” he asked, starting to extend a hand out towards her to help.  
  
            She let out a startled gasp, taking a step away from him. He noticed that her legs shook ever so slightly as she did so. She shook her head no, stammering out a polite thank you as best she could before very quickly telling him she’d be back in a moment, and next to _bolting_ from the circulation desk and running _very_ far into the library until he could no longer see her.

 

            He sighed sadly. Of course she wouldn’t want to go out with the likes of him. They could barely even speak of the subject, and now when it was finally about to be brought out in the open, she ran. He couldn’t blame her too much. After all, he knew very well that shyness was very difficult to overcome at times, and, on top of that, she could most likely only talk to someone known to be a monster for so long. For a moment, all he could do was stand there as he felt his heart break a little.  
  
*********  
  
            _Stupid, stupid, stupid!!_

 

            Belle had been touched and absolutely thrilled to death when Mr. Gold had handed her the rose, damn near wanting to cry with happiness. People never really did things like that for her a whole lot, and she knew deep down in her heart that she had fallen for the right person. It had been going at least _somewhat_ well between them, despite that they both seemed rather nervous, after all... There was practically static electricity flowing around them and through them, keeping them talking to each other even though both wanted to bolt. Or, at least _she_ felt that way…  
  
            She gulped, looking up at Gold, opening her mouth to finally ask the unspoken question, when she suddenly felt something that was very much _not_ electricity. She found herself unable to look away from him as she felt powerful (and somehow, damn near silent) vibrations strike at her core. It took every ounce of concentration she had to keep herself from crying out. She even felt one of her eyes slightly twitch from the effort.

 

            Did… did her _underwear_ … just _vibrate_?  
  
            Mr. Gold very sweetly asked if she was alright, but unfortunately she could barely hear him over the blood that was beginning to rush to her head. She placed one of her hands on the desk, with the coolness of its surface helping her to collect herself as she took a shaky breath before nodding, trying to keep calm.  
  
            She looked back up at him, about to speak once again, but was rendered speechless as the fabric between her legs vibrated _again_ , and somehow even _more_ powerfully this time. She could feel her ears growing warm as she now white-knuckled the circulation desk to prevent herself from falling over. Poor Belle could barely help herself as a moan that somehow managed to turn into a squeak escaped her lips, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth with embarrassment. She was _beyond_ mortified that this was happening, but at this point, she was so incredibly turned on, that she knew she had to get away, even if it was just for a moment to calm herself down and be able to face Gold properly.

 

            She could hear his brogue thickening (which _obviously_ wasn’t helping) with concern, but just barely. She subconsciously, and physically, took a step back, telling herself that she couldn’t just _jump_ him at this moment, even though she really _really_ wanted to. For goodness sake, they were barely at the point of actually _asking_ each other out! He had once told her that he favored a woman’s personality far greater than the good looks they may possess, no matter stunning, before he quickly withdrew from the conversation, claiming he was in a hurry for something. How could someone as sophisticated and charming as Gold want to continue to go out with a ‘slut’ who had jumped him before they even went out on a first date? She assured him she really was alright as best she could, before telling him to wait there for a moment and practically _bolting_ very far away from him.  
  
            She now hid behind a bookcase, breathing quickly not just from having ran very fast, but because the vibrating panties kept, well, _vibrating_ , only turning her on more and more. If she weren’t so insanely turned on, she’d be sitting on the floor crying about how badly she most likely just ruined her relationship with Gold. She could feel her limbs beginning to tremble a little bit where she stood as the panties vibrated yet again, disrupting her thoughts. The sensations were growing to be too much, causing her to yank the panties off of her and practically throw them to the floor. Much to her embarrassment, they landed on the tile floor with a bit of a _slap_ noise, seeing as they were absolutely soaked. She took a shaky breath as something internally snapped, making her unable to resist anymore. She held onto one of the shelves behind her with one hand, while the other hiked up her dress and dove into her slick folds.  
  
            She spread her own wetness with her fingers, beginning to pant with need as she did so. She alternated between practically attacking her own clit and shamelessly fucking her own hand. She let out pathetic little whimpers as her legs began to tremble again, and even her hips occasionally thrust towards her hand, not of her own volition. Interestingly, the sound of the panties vibrating on the floor in front of her was what sent her over the edge, moaning as her orgasm took her by storm. She felt some of her nectar begin to drip down one of her thighs as she lifted her now coated fingers to her lips and sucked every drop of her pleasure off of them. She was sure her moan had been a bit louder than she had meant it to be, but at this point, she couldn’t care less. Her and Gold were the only ones left in the library, and there was no way Gold was stuck around after that incredibly humiliating conversation. He probably left right after she bolted, and why wouldn’t he? How could he possibly want to go out with a shy, weird girl like her? She carelessly wiped her now saliva-coated fingers on the side of her dress, and then walked on slightly wobbly legs back towards the front of the library to finally close up for the evening.  
  
**************

            Gold almost _had_ left the library, feeling defeated, and having convinced himself that the next thing he ought to do was finally crack open the nice bottle of whiskey he’d been saving for a special occasion. He _definitely_ needed a pick-me-up after how badly he had failed tonight. As he turned to walk away; however, he heard a small noise, which sounded very much like something landing on the floor. He paused, growing a bit curious. He was sure he practically wouldn’t have even heard it at all if it weren’t for the stifling quietness that surrounded him. Hearing nothing more, he sighed, heading for the double doors. He was about to open them and leave the premises when he heard it:

 

            A gorgeous moan of pleasure echoed throughout the library, damn near knocking him to his feet. He thanked his lucky stars that he’d closed the library door on his way in, since surely this was _not_ a sound that the locals needed (or _wanted_ ) to hear coming from the front doors of the supposedly child-friendly library. He and Belle were the only ones in here weren’t they? A massive blush then overtook his face, replacing the tinge of pink that had invaded his cheeks upon hearing the beautiful moan. Did… did _Belle_ just…?  
  
            Before he could question himself any further; however, he heard the steady clicking of Belle’s shoes slowly walking towards him. When she came into view, he was absolutely stunned at what he saw. To the ‘untrained eye’, she was walking normally, but a slight wobble in her knees gave her away. There was a massive blush on her face, and he could visibly see her hardened nipples through her dress. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over, her cherry red lips were slightly parted, and he could practically hear her breathing hard as she walked.  
  
            When she finally reached him, and furthermore, seemed to recognize that he was still standing right where she had left him, her eyes briefly widened with panic, and, most likely, embarrassment. They just stood there staring at each other for a second and blushing, before Belle slurred something involving the words “go”, “out”, and “me”.  
  
            He took a sharp intake of breath before hobbling over to her as quickly as one with a now raging hard-on could, letting his cane drop to the floor before he placed one hand on her lower back and the other behind her head, pulling him towards her, and letting their lips crash together.

 

            They were in absolute heaven as the two of them groped each other and moaned with want. Belle brought one of her hands to the back of Gold’s head as she turned her own head sideways to taste him even further. The feeling of her fingers running through his hair caused shivers of pleasure to run down his spine, and he absolutely loved it. Even better, the minx somehow managed to snake one of her legs around one of his ankles, then seductively slide it up his leg until it was just below his buttocks, and roughly pressed it against him, bringing to two of them just about as close as they could get while they were still clothed. Belle let out a guttural moan as she felt his cock not only straining against his pants, but actually pressing against the small amount of coverage her dress had left to offer her core with her leg being lifted this high.  
  
            They broke away with shaky breaths, gazing into each other’s eyes as they panted heavily for a moment. Poor Belle still couldn’t speak properly yet, but she damn well tried anyways with a smile, slurring something about “guessing” and “yes”. He chuckled with amusement, practically never wanting to let this brilliant, and utterly _sexy_ woman out of his sight ever again, but he reluctantly released his hold on her for a moment, causing Belle to whimper a bit at the loss of contact. He never took his eyes off her as he, with a surprising amount of skill and swagger, hobbled backwards until he reached the front doors of the library. He only looked away to flip the sign on the front door to ‘closed’, and to pull a latch that locked the two doors up tight.

 

            When he looked back at the now incredibly disheveled Belle, he damn near groaned with want. She was undoubtedly gorgeous, especially in this state, but with the way the lights from the ceiling hit her just right, he could not only see a small stain that had formed on the front of her dress, but he happened to catch a glimpse of a very thin trail of what he could tell were her own juices slowly going down the inside of one of her legs, with it seemingly pausing next to her knee. He had thought about throwing caution to the wind and absolutely ripping off her underwear so they could rut against each other until they climaxed in their pants like animals, but apparently she was one step ahead of him, and he couldn’t be happier.  
  
            He couldn’t help but chuckle as he heard Belle’s stomach growl, causing her face to only grow redder and turn away from him a little in embarrassment. It seemed she finally found it in her to speak properly, shakily asking him if he wanted to come up to her flat to watch a movie, have some takeout, and maybe do… _other_ things if that’s the direction the night went towards. He full-heartedly agreed, taking her hand in his, and bringing it up to his lips, much like he had done at a time that now felt like ancient history compared to where they were now in their relationship.  
  
            It was a bit of a struggle, but he did manage to climb the flight of stairs up to her flat, even helping the poor dear unlock her door since her hands were still trembling. They opened the door, and walked into the small flat, but the mood was broken almost immediately afterward. Gold’s face turned upward into a slight smirk of laughter, while poor Belle’s face contorted into one of absolute horror.  
  
            A pretty white cat sat in the middle of Belle’s living room, which he happened to recognize as the dearly departed old madam’s most precious feline companion. When the two of them had walked in the door, the cat next to froze while in a position that suggested she was about to pounce on a small white, plastic object (that happened to look an awful lot like a remote of some kind) in front of her, with her eyes growing very large and round like she was a small child who had just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. In practically no time at all, the mischievous cat scrambled a bit before sitting rather regally, proceeding to groom herself with care as if nothing had happened.  
  
            Poor Belle appeared to be mortified as she stuttered out apologies, excusing herself to put the plastic remote-looking thing in her room. Not two seconds later, she came back out, inviting him to sit down on the small (and aptly named) loveseat in her living room, and apologizing yet again for needing to grab something she left in the library before rushing out her door. He did, in fact, sit down on the quite comfy loveseat, watching the pretty cat clean herself until Belle left.  
  
            Not a minute afterward, the cat stopped what she was doing, and then looked directly at Gold. She got up on her dainty paws, and then walked over to where Gold sat, jumping up on the couch to sit beside him and continue to stare at him. Funny how Gold actually started to grow a bit nervous under what felt like really intense scrutiny coming from a _cat,_ of all things, as if she was actually Belle’s human mother, determining if Gold was good enough for her little girl.

 

            Gold refused to look away, staring into the cat’s practically glowing sapphire eyes until he saw her practically nod and almost smile at him before swiping her paw at a pillow that sat next to her like it was a feather, looking awfully proud of herself as it fell off the couch. Gold raised an eyebrow at the clever animal as she looked back at him again, tilting his head to look at where the pillow had been. His eyes widened at the sight of a neon purple-colored dildo that was now in plain view.

 

            The cat gracefully jumped off the couch, gently brushing one of his legs with her soft tail before walking towards the hallway that led to the other small rooms of Belle’s flat. Before she disappeared from view, she turned her head back towards Gold, who had been watching her this whole time with amazement. A vibe of what felt like a silent understanding crossed between the man and the feline when their eyes met once again. She gave him an almost knowing look, with what appeared to be a small smile crossing her face, and he could swear the cat _winked_ at him before she proudly trotted away with her head held high.  
  
            Gold was stunned at what a crazy ride this whole night had been so far, knowing that it had barely even begun yet, without having to look at a clock. No matter how this particular night ended; however, he figured this would make one hell of a ‘how-we-met’ story down the road… Gold smiled happily to himself. Who would have guessed that the beauty would fall so hard for the beast?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THESE.  
> TWO.  
> DORKS.
> 
> ALSO, POSH YET NAUGHTY, MOTHERLY CAT IS BEST CAT. *drops mic*


	2. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .....YOU ALL ASKED, AND YOU ALL SHALL RECEIVE!
> 
> One VERY long chapter practically filled to the brim with awkward, fluffy, cutesy, dorky, schmoozy SUPER detailed smutty Rumbelle goodness, coming right up!  
> *rings 'pick-up' bell*
> 
> In other news, part of this chapter breaks away from the writing style I had going on a little bit since there's ACTUAL DIALOGUE written here *dramatic chipmunk*.... but I think y'all will like it /)^3^(\
> 
> ....and in case it wasn't obvious already, this is DEFINITELY NSFW lol

           Belle groaned to herself as she hurried down the flight of stairs and entered the library again. Of _course,_ only when Belle _finally_ had the courage to actually invite a really attractive guy to her place was the night where she had shamelessly _masturbated_ in the _library_ , carelessly left her panties practically _plastered_ to the floor, leaving her casually walking, and occasionally _running,_ around with _no underwear_ , probably making herself look like a huge idiot in front of one of the only guys that made her feel… _things_. _Really_ intense… _things_.

 

            On top of that, she could’ve endangered her position as head librarian had she fully forgotten about the panties all night… After all, what would people have thought had they discovered a stained pair of _vibrating_ _panties_ on the floor, suspiciously close to the _children’s section_?! Oh dear _God_ , she was absolutely losing her _mind_! All she could do at that point was practically peel them (honestly, it wasn’t _that_ bad, she was just overreacting) off the floor, stick them in one of the pockets of the dress she wore, and thank her lucky stars that there was virtually no ‘evidence’ on the floor (and that a vast majority of the tiled floor was white) since the janitor wasn’t due to come and mop the floors again until tomorrow night.

 

            She paused for a second at the bottom of the stairs to catch her breath before rushing back up the stairs yet again. She already made a complete idiot of herself so far; what was the harm of a little sweat as compared to the rest of her currently disheveled self?  
  
**************

 

            Despite Belle’s cat seeming like she was trying to tell him something through her actions, Gold grabbed the pillow off the floor and put it back in its place for now. Poor Belle seemed embarrassed beyond belief at this point, and having a sex toy of hers be out in the open like that most likely would only make it worse.

 

            In a way, he pitied her since, judging by how she used to dress, on top of how she interacted with him before tonight, she didn’t seem to have a whole lot of confidence in herself, which he thought was a damn shame. One would have to be incredibly stupid or completely blind to not see how beautiful she was, and an even bigger moron to not want to interact with her.  
  
            He was no fool; he remembered what it was like to be closer to her age. The mid-20’s age range was always such a fascinating time for people… They certainly weren’t teenagers anymore, but it was sometimes difficult to really feel like a full-blown ‘adult’, despite what others would say and expect of them.

 

            Frankly, men at her age were _remarkably_ daft (yes, including himself at that age). Hell, it never ceased to amaze him that _somehow_ there were still babies being born every single day despite their stupidity. Witnessing them attempt to ask a woman out was, a lot of times, just as painful as watching a train wreck. Even worse, even if they succeeded, a lot of those morons most likely couldn’t find a woman’s clit with a magnifying glass and a flashlight despite having already learned basic anatomy!

 

            As far as his own experience, thankfully his age _did_ bring quite a bit to the table that men in even their mid-twenties sometimes didn’t possess yet, but he couldn’t lie to himself. He was _definitely_ out of practice.

 

            He had married quite young, just before he began pursuing a college degree in fact. People had told him they were jumping into it too early, but _oh no_ , the stubborn young man he had been ultimately refused to listen. The only woman he had ever been with, even up until now, was his ex-wife. Thankfully for him, they had quite the impressive sex life for a good three years or so, where he learned a _lot_ of different techniques to pleasure her senseless, but that was quite a ways back, and he was actually a bit nervous when he even _remotely_ thought about failing Belle sexually. He wasn’t necessarily a ‘young buck’ anymore, but he desperately hoped he could at least come _close_ to measuring up to Belle’s past lovers…

 

            He practically almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the door to Belle’s apartment click and then swing open.  
  
            After apologizing for once again having to suddenly ‘ditch’ him, she pulled out her phone from one of her pockets and made some swiping motions on its screen as she asked what kind of food he’d like. Of course, like the gentleman he was, he insisted that she pick whatever she wanted, and offered to pay for their dinner. Before she could even think about protesting this in any way, he rose to his feet, slowly walked over to where she stood, and handed her a platinum credit card of his, whispering to her that, once again, _he insisted_.

 

            He could practically feel the heat radiating off her face as her cheeks burned. He definitely knew he’d done something right when he heard her breath hitch and her adorable little nervous giggle escape her lips. Considering how she reacted to him, he had to be doing at least _somewhat_ good, right?  
  
            She decided on Chinese takeout, very sweetly asking him if he had any food allergies, or if he at _least_ preferred certain foods to others on the menu. He, thankfully, didn’t have any allergies, and was also ‘truly not picky’, although he was rather moved by just how much she thought about others before herself. He counted himself lucky to have found someone with as big of a heart as hers.

 

**************  
  
            Good _Lord_ was Belle ever in trouble… if he kept up using that delicious accent of his to his advantage; she could very easily go through _another_ pair of panties that night because of his voice _alone_. Despite having a bit of an accent herself, she never really understood why people (particularly women) absolutely lost their _minds_ over lilting voices sometimes, although, when it came to _Gold_ , she was definitely starting to see the appeal… Dropping his voice to that rough whisper close to her ear caused her breath to hitch, and come awfully close to whimpering with want before giggling nervously like schoolgirl to cover it up.  
           

            She ordered the food quickly, using Gold’s card to pay, before preparing dinner for Duchess so she wouldn’t try and steal any of the meat from their meal. She then discreetly (and yet _not_ so discreetly) took the pair of vibrating underwear out of her pocket and _threw_ them as close to her room as she could get from where she was standing when he wasn’t looking. It wasn’t the most brilliant move ever on her part, but frankly, she was surprised she had enough functioning brain cells at the moment to even get her to do _that_ much.  
  
            Her movie collection wasn’t all that large, but she did have some really good classics, which Gold sweetly complimented her on, saying ‘she had an excellent taste in film’. They decided on _Casablanca_ , curling up on the couch to watch for a bit before she got the call saying that their food had arrived. After the food was retrieved and they portioned out what they each wanted into bowls, they settled back down on Belle’s loveseat, eating in silence for a bit.

 

            Honestly, Belle wasn’t paying all that much attention to the movie, despite the fact her eyes were, for the most part, watching the screen in front of her. When she sat next to Gold, she seemed to gain this practically supernatural sense of every little thing he did, including the way he was breathing, how his fingers sometimes seemed to twitch ever so slightly while he was using his pair of chopsticks, and the way the muscles in his throat moved when he swallowed. _God_ how she craved to lean over and just start nibbling on _him_ instead of her orange chicken…  
  
            Over the course of time, she also seemed to notice that they were subconsciously getting closer and closer to each other on the couch. When they had first sat down, their knees barely touched, and sometimes even separated if one of them twitched or something. _Now_ ; however, in the middle of the second act, they were pretty much glued at the hip. Belle’s breath began to quicken a bit in anticipation. This was usually the part where the handsome gentleman would put his arm around her, right? At least, that’s what would happen in books anyways…  
  
            She was a touch disappointed when he actually reached for her bowl first, making a sort of ‘are you finished?’-type of motion with his hand. She smiled and nodded, letting him take her bowl and fork, and thanked him for being such a gentleman when he put their bowls in the sink. He was about to wash them, but Belle insisted he just fill them with some hot soapy water, and leave them; she’d get to them later.  
  
            She bit her lip nervously; feeling quite conflicted. As much as she adored Gold being such a gentleman with her right now, the moment they had in the library practically writhing against each other like animals was one of the most erotic things she’d ever experienced, and frankly, she needed more of that like she needed air in her lungs. She found herself fiddling with the front edge of her dress, and bit back a moan when her fingers ran over a spot where her own arousal had been present and was finally starting to dry. At the same time; however, if they _did_ start getting, well, _intimate_ further than they had been in the library, she’d finally have to reveal her secret… and who knows if he’d actually still want to be with her after that?

 

***********

 

            Gold mentally froze at being called a ‘gentleman’. He did appreciate the compliment, and liked to think of himself as such, but if he were honest, he _desperately_ hoped that things would start moving in the same kind of direction things were moving in the library… but did _she_ actually want that again? She had certainly _sounded_ like she did while they were enveloped in each other’s arms. Hell, the way she had spoken to him when inviting him up to her flat (despite the nervousness) rather sounded like some part of her wanted to repeat that, if not go even _further_. It practically made his mouth water just thinking about it, but if she truly wanted him to _just_ be a gentleman tonight, then, damnit, that’s exactly what he’d do. He’d gotten _this_ far, and he wasn’t about to scare her off by pushing his luck…  
  
            In any event, as he was walking back towards the couch, he noticed her starting to fidget with her dress a bit. He also noticed her chewing on her bottom lip, making him want to gently caress her face before greedily taking that lip between his own teeth… _Oh_ , how she tempted him so…  
  
            He sat down next to her, bolding placing himself _exactly_ where he had been before, which meant that the two of them were physically touching, and practically joined at the hip once again. They sat perfectly still for a while, with the only sounds to be heard being their own breathing, and, eventually, the propellers of a plane, and Humphrey Bogart speaking to Ingrid Bergman one last time. He moved his arm upwards, slowly beginning to snake behind Belle’s shoulders, making sure she understood his intent and was okay with it. He let his hand graze Belle’s arm once he had his arm wrapped around her, feeling goose bumps rise up on her skin at his gentle touch.  
  
            Thankfully, Belle didn’t seem to mind this at all. In fact, he heard her practically purr as she snuggled up to him. She innocently rested one of her hands on his thigh as she rotated her body toward his chest, and affectionately rubbed her head near his collarbone before resting it on his shoulder. He internally whooped with joy at being able to get this close to her again, loving the feel of her warmth enveloping him like a hug. He was about to continue watching what was left of their movie when he heard Belle’s breath hitch again, feeling her warm breath hit what bit of skin was exposed on his chest when she exhaled. He gulped nervously just before he felt her head move towards him, and, finally, her lips press an affectionate kiss to his neck as she slowly moved the hand on his thigh to his chest.

 

***********  


            _Good Lord, she was_ kissing _him!_

 

            She internally let out a girly ‘squee’ when she finally gathered up enough courage to make the kind of move she had _wanted_ to make for quite some time now, and not just in reference to tonight. She had been quite nervous to do so, although she could tell that they _both_ were on edge as they sat on the couch together. They both knew that their passion and lust for each other could already drag them considerably further than some simple touches and cuddling, despite the fact they had practically _just_ admitted their feelings for one another mere hours ago.  
  
            Belle was convinced that the ‘episode’ in the library had just been a moment of weakness. Surely, the sexual tension that had been building between the two of them had finally gotten to be too much for them to handle, unleashing itself in the form of desperate groping and moaning like a couple of teenagers to satisfy a rather primitive urge. After all, they _were_ more mature than that, and could, as they say, ‘keep it in their pants’ on their first date… couldn’t they?  
  
            Not a moment after Belle’s lips had reached Gold’s neck, he seemed to almost freeze before turning himself more towards her, just as she had done to him earlier. He placed a gentle hand on her cheek, encouraging her to look up at him. Belle’s eyes widened as her cheeks grew warmer. She interestingly hadn’t noticed it back in the library, even though they were practically as close as two people could be, but she now saw his gorgeous eyes gazing at her lovingly, with flecks of, surprisingly, _gold_ and amber dancing around his pupils beautifully. Despite feeling like she could stare into his eyes forever, she felt her eyes begin to close part way, with the softness of his hand easing her into a blissful warmth and comfort as he gently brought her face closer and closer to his, until their lips finally met.  
  
            Unlike their rendezvous in the library, this was a much slower, but just as passionate, pace. She tilted her head, deepening their kiss as she had done before, beginning to wrap her arms around him gently as best she could. He mimicked her actions, moving the hand that was on her cheek, and burying it into her flowing auburn curls, while the other slowly slid over her hip and to the small of her back, where he pulled her ever so slightly closer to him. This was the most tender any man had ever been with her, and she felt like her heart could overflow with happiness at any moment now.  
  
            Now all that could be heard were the sounds of their clothes slightly rustling as they intertwined their bodies in a slow, romantic dance of lips, hands and the tips of their tongues, followed by the sound of Humphrey Bogart and Claude Rains walking away from the scene, with Humphrey Bogart proclaiming,  
  
            _“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”_

           

            A small sigh of happiness escaped Belle’s lips, but was slightly muffled as Gold seized this opportunity to keep her lips parted, now allowing their tongues to fully mingle with one another. Belle began to breathe through her nose quicker as she moved one of her hands into Gold’s hair, playing with strands of his hair as she attempted to bring their lips even closer together, making Gold whimper a little with need.  
  
            As they kissed, she could feel Gold gently nudging her; a near silent request for her to move towards the side of the couch. She happily complied, with the two of them shifting towards their destination before Gold began to slowly lay her down to be underneath him. She leaned further and further back until –

 

            A firm pressure underneath her back, and furthermore, underneath the pillow Gold was about to lay her onto broke the spell she was put under. She squeaked in panic, and rapidly tried to sit up, forgetting that Gold was right above her, causing their foreheads to briefly, and slightly painfully, collide with one another.  
  
**********

 

            Gold grunted a bit at the impact, but thankfully ‘recovered’ faster than he could dwell on what had just happened.  
  
            “Belle, sweetheart, are you alright? Did I do something wrong?” he asked her.  
  
            Her face turned crimson again, seemingly holding something behind her back and she stumbled over her words, apologizing again before briefly leaving the room.  
  
            He mentally smacked himself, feeling dumb that he got so caught up in the moment that he forgot that Belle’s… _toy_ had been hiding underneath that specific pillow, even though Belle’s mysterious cat actually revealed it to him earlier in the evening. No matter, though… he swore to himself that the rest of their night would blow these awkward moments away faster than stray leaves in the wind.  
  
            When Belle returned, bless her heart, she looked so adorably bashful. Her face wasn’t quite as red as it had been earlier, but nothing could ever put a dent in her overall loveliness. Her eyes were downcast, barely able to meet his eyes as she nervously chewed her bottom lip and began fiddling with the edge of her dress again, even bunching some of it up in her dainty hands, which made it tantalizingly lift higher just the slightest bit. Gold had to bite back a moan, disbelief briefly flashing in his eyes. It occurred to him right then that it was entirely possible that she didn’t realize what a vision she made standing there like that, and he fully intended to fix that.  
  
            He smiled at her kindly, softly saying her name to catch her attention.  
  
            She then looked up at him from underneath her lashes, with part of her bottom lip still caught between her teeth. She let go of the bottom of her dress, leaving it to wrinkle a little from the pressure she had put on the fabric.  
  
            Gold extended a hand towards her, inviting her to sit back down on the couch with him, and ‘continue where they left off’.

 

            Belle nodded shyly, taking a couple of steps towards him again to take his hand before she sat down next to him again, finally looking into his eyes.  
  
            Practically before he could blink, let alone attempt to be the ‘smooth gentleman’ again, he found himself tasting Belle on his lips again. Not only that, but as they kissed, she gently pushed him backward until he hit the inside back of the couch, with his back practically molding with the couch while Belle straddled his thighs. He gasped in surprise at her boldness, with her sudden initiative being quite the turn on at that moment. He wrapped his arms around her again, groaning at the sight of her ass swaying invitingly as she leaned into him, barely letting her breasts graze his chest. His hands began to wander all over her sweet curves, occasionally landing on her ass, which he playfully squeezed, making Belle squeal with delight. Their lustful groping had clearly begun again, but unlike in the library, it was still quite tender, despite the fact they weren’t completely touching.  
   
            It continued this way for several minutes, until Gold decided to take the plunge. Once his hands ended up a bit below her knees, his hands began to tremble a bit as they slowly made the ascend up her dress. His lips moved to her neck, utterly worshipping it with open-mouthed kisses as Belle let out shaky, practically breathless little moans as he moved. They both seemed to be breathing much heavier once Gold’s hands reached Belle’s hips, growling with appreciation as he went back and forth between massaging them tenderly and gently grabbing at her ass, loving how warm she was in his hands. At one point, he became even bolder, slowly tracing the edges of her panties, seeking yet more permission from her.  
  
            She froze at this moment. Her kiss-swollen lips parted, letting out a shaky exhale as her thighs trembled the tiniest bit, becoming slightly tired from holding herself up above Gold.   
  
            “I…” she began, with her ears starting to turn a bit red.  
  
            Gold’s eyes were ever-darkening with lust as he looked up at her, still moving his hand along her panties slowly but surely.  
              
            “I’m…I’m a…” she stuttered.  


            “…Yes?” he asked her, as his clever hands headed to her core.  
  
            “… _VIRGIN!_ ” she cried out suddenly with pleasure, when his hand briefly stroked the front of her now drenched panties.  
  
            She lowered herself on top of him, with her now fully sitting on his lap. Both Gold and Belle moaned as they felt her soaked panties rub against his cock that was now straining against his pants with want. Other than that, Gold found himself briefly frozen in place. He swallowed hard as he unsuccessfully tried to look her in the eye, with her looking away from him again. They found themselves briefly unable to speak, leaving them breathing heavily, and feeling _very_ warm on Belle’s little couch.

 

            _This… this was-_  
  
********  


            - _Awful!!  
  
            Oh_ , how she wished she could just melt into the floor and disappear right now! He was trying _so_ hard to make this good for her, and all she was doing was royally messing everything up! Practically everything she knew came from Ruby and Emma, or from romance novels she’d admittedly read in the past, leaving Belle herself with virtually no ‘swagger’ when it came to intimate encounters.   
  
            Even worse, in the past, she had either been dumped by other guys since they apparently ‘didn’t want to deal with that’, or worse, they saw her virginity as an immediate invitation to ‘get in her pants’, where they’d try and force themselves on her until she ‘gave it up to them’, treating her more like an obtainable prize, rather than a woman with feelings and opinions, forcing her to break up with them, and sometimes having to change her phone number in the process. Was it really so hard for people to respect that she was ‘saving it’ for someone truly special? _She_ certainly didn’t think so, and frankly, if someone couldn’t or _wouldn’t_ respect her wishes on the matter, they had absolutely no right to demand that she basically toss it out the window like it was nothing. Needless to say, some of those encounters definitely left her a bit shell-shocked.  


            To be fair, she genuinely _liked_ Gold. In fact, she _really_ _REALLY_ liked him. A _lot_. More than any of the other men ( _boys_ more like it…) that had tried to court her in the past. As much as she enjoyed their moment in the library, she thanked whatever deity would listen for letting her think clearly just long enough to not let herself get too carried away. Well, _more_ carried away, in any case…  
 

            If she had learned absolutely nothing else from this night so far, it’s that they were _incredibly_ sexually compatible… like, _completely melted panties-level_ sexually compatible. It practically made her drool thinking about just how badly she had wanted to go ‘all the way’ with Gold at that moment… and how painful (both mentally _and_ physically) it was that she needed to stop what she was doing now. As much as she trusted him, and was awestruck by how much restraint he was showing to make her feel comfortable, she was horribly afraid she’d lose control of herself again, and let him take her virginity during her moment of weakness, and then regret it afterwards. Hell, she had fantasized about giving herself to Gold more times than she could count before they finally admitted their feelings for one another, but she still wanted it to be a bit more… _special_ , despite the fact it was probably viewed as ‘cheesy’ or ‘old-fashioned’ to think that way nowadays...  
  
            She took a shaky breath in and out, then slowly confided in Gold about her plight. By the end of her speech, a couple of tears of frustration had fallen. She honestly _hated_ telling people this ‘secret’ of hers, mostly because she was never sure what they’d actually think, and worse yet, how they’d react, which made her sick to her stomach to think about. Obviously, _her_ opinion about what she did or didn’t do with her body was the one that mattered most, but being rejected still hurt, and Mr. Gold’s rejection would most likely hurt more than anyone else’s combined.   
  
            At this point, she just hoped that maybe he’d let her down gently, and not get _too_ upset. At least that would make the blow a bit less painful…  
  
*********  


            Gold watched in fascination as Belle fully revealed her ‘secret’ to him, briefly telling him stories of past boyfriends trying to force themselves on her even after she had told them ‘no’, and the ones who would break up with her once they’d figure out she wasn’t going to be a ‘quick lay’. He gazed upon her with empathy, but inside, he was absolutely _blinded_ by rage on her behalf. _All_ of those morons didn’t know how lucky they were that she had chosen to grace them with her presence in _any_ way, shape, or form, and they were utter fools to reject her for not wanting to intimately share her body with them just yet. The thought of hunting each and every one of them down and beating them to death with his cane briefly crossed his mind, but his deep concern for the beauty sitting in his lap far outweighed his murderous intent.  
              
            He gently cupped her face with his hands, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. Poor Belle’s eyes were still a bit red from the tears she had shed, and he would do anything to make it right again.  
  
            “You listen to me, now, sweetheart…” he said softly, with his brogue thickening with concern as he made her look him in the eyes.  
  
            “Those other men were _bastards_. They had _no_ idea how lucky they were, and they foolishly threw away their chances with you by championing their own desires, and not thinking of yours in turn… You’re absolutely _beautiful_ in every way, and I’d be just as big of a fool as they were to, as you put it, _‘dump you’_ , because you’re strong enough to put your beliefs above what other people want or expect from you. You’re so kind to everyone you meet, putting others before yourself; probably more than some of them even deserve, _including myself_. You’re witty, intelligent, an absolute delight to talk to, and every day you’ve graced me with your presence made my darkened world just a little brighter. Don’t you _ever_ think poorly of yourself for being who you are, you hear me?” he said, with total seriousness in his eyes.  
  
            “Also…” he began to add, breaking away from her gaze a little and gulping nervously as his cheeks tinged pink once again.

 

            He took a slow breath in before looking her in the eyes again.

 

            “…I promise you, here and now, that I will _never_ purposefully pressure you into something you’re unprepared for. If you want to stop what we’re doing right now, or even if you want me to walk out your front door and never come back, that’s exactly what I’ll do. I will only go as far as you’ll let me, and… if _I_ wind up being the one you choose to share yourself with, I’d be the happiest, most privileged man alive.” He said, softly petting her hair as he spoke.  
  
            He was half-stunned that he actually had the courage to speak the words he _should_ have spoken to her at the library when handing her that rose instead of doing what he did, despite the fact it was consensual, but hopefully this made up for it…  
  
*******  
  
            Belle’s eyes fell closed as she felt Gold gently dry her tears. He then grasped her face, having her look him in the eye as he spoke to her. She couldn’t help but stare at him in awe as Gold’s brogue washed over her like ocean waves, showering her with some of the most touching words anyone had ever said about her, including even her own father. It had taken her _far_ too long, but it was official: she _finally_ found the man she wanted to fully share herself; although, not tonight… However, his beautiful words sparked an incredible passion that went beyond carnal need, and she desperately wanted to convey that feeling to him…  
  
            She now mimicked him, gently enveloping his face in her hands as she looked at him with her eyes half-lidded. She could see his face visibly soften from the more serious mood he had entered when pouring his heart out to her when she did so, with his hands releasing her face, and falling back to her hips over the cover of her dress. She pressed her lips against his, as well as letting her entire torso press against him, swallowing a muffled sound of surprise from Gold. She even parted his lips with her own, letting their tongues continue the intimate dance they had started not long ago.  
  
            They sat that way for what felt like _hours_ , until Belle took some initiative this time: One of her hands made its way into Gold’s hair, while the other slid down his arm until she reached his hand, very gently grasping it until he caught on, and let her take control of his hand. She slid it down her leg and past the edge of her dress, smiling mischievously as she continued to kiss him. She released his lips, and broke away from him the tiniest bit, to tantalizingly slowly slide their hands underneath her dress until Gold’s calloused fingertips once again reached her heated core. She allowed him to feel the soaked fabric of her panties, gasping as his fingers intimately touched her. She barely gave him time to react before leading his fingers to one side of her panties, curling their joined digits around it, and slowly pulling them down until they reached her bent knees. She then leaned forward towards him again, letting her breasts sensuously rub against his chest as her lips moved to his ear, breathing:  
  
            “ _Touch me…”_

 

**************

 

            Gold didn’t need a clearer invitation than _that_ , but _Oh,_ _Lord_ … he definitely needed a moment to recover from one of the most erotic things he’d ever experienced in his life. True, it had been the slightest bit clumsy, but it was romantic, sensual as all hell, and undeniably charming in a way only Belle could achieve. It was touching to know that she trusted him enough to allow him to be _this_ close to her… In fact, had _anyone_ been graced with the permission to intimately touch her like this before? No matter who had been with her in this regard before though, if anyone at all, he wanted this experience to absolutely _pale_ in comparison to anything she’d experienced thus far with anyone (or possibly any _thing_ ) else.  
  
            He began to very carefully stroke her outer folds and play with her curls; delighting in how wet she was, as she let out tiny little mewls of pleasure in his ear. He noticed her thighs trembling once again from the effort of staying in that position above him, and decided to make her more comfortable, holding her delicate form in one arm, and gently placing her down flat on her couch as he continued to tease her sex. He then, impressively, shifted his body off the couch to kneel by her side, all as he continued to stroke her. He knew this was going to be hell on his knees, and his foot wouldn’t be too happy at the thought of getting up from that position, but when it came to her pleasure, it was absolutely worth it.  
  
            He leaned back over her form, giving her a sensuous kiss on the lips before he shifted his mouth down to her neck, loving the sound of her cries incredibly close to his own ears. As he lavished his attention on her neck, her clavicles, and the top of her chest, he began to explore her sex further, dipping in just enough to find her sensitive clit. She moaned beautifully as his fingers barely even touched her there, mostly circling around it, like he was waiting for an opportunity to ‘strike’. Even her hips had thrust upward to meet his hand of its own accord.  
  
            His lips then moved down to her covered breasts, kneading one with his free hand, and mouthing the other, hoping it would still feel good for her despite him not being directly against her skin. He quickly discovered he had no need to worry as she continued to whimper and moan at his touch, with one of her hands unconsciously pressing against the back of his head in encouragement.  
  
            By the time he was finished, sweet Belle’s beautiful eyes were practically rolling into the back of her head as she breathed faster, clearly already delirious with pleasure. He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, thinking how lovely it was that she was already so far gone, even though she had barely gotten a taste of just how much he could pleasure her senseless. Lord knows he could damn well do that in _so_ many delicious ways that didn’t even involve his cock plunging into her. As much as he craved trying practically everything he knew with her on this night, he figured it was best to ease her into this slowly, particularly with how sensitive she appeared to be.  
  
            He planted kisses over practically every square inch of her torso, despite a vast majority of it being covered with her dress. As much as he longed to taste the bare skin of her belly, he figured she’d let him when she was ready, even if it wasn’t tonight, making him suppress his urge to practically rip the dress off of her to absolutely worship her body like she deserved. He did; however, eventually get to her legs, which he lavished with kisses.  
  
            He paused his ministrations on her sex to move his hand to the edge of her dress, with his fingers teasing her skin just underneath the edge as he looked up at her to receive permission. To his great surprise, she was looking right back at him, and _boy_ was he happy with what he saw… The expression on her face damn near matched the one he had briefly seen on her face while they were in the library when she initially approached him again after literally running away with embarrassment, breathing hard, and _wanting_ and he _loved_ it. In fact, he hadn’t been able to get that expression of hers out of his head this whole night so far, desperately craving to have the honor of seeing that expression on her face once again. The movement was small, but he somehow caught her nod of approval when she met his eyes.  
  
            Gold internally whooped with joy as he slowly moved the hem of her dress higher and higher until her lower half was completely bare and exposed to his hungry eyes. His felt his mouth go dry and become slack as he took in what an absolute vision she was. He could see her body trembling, but not from cold. Her hands also trembled slightly as she rung them nervously in front of her chest. She blushed heavily as she looked away from him seemingly self-consciously, shyly nibbling her lower lip. He smiled warmly at her, briefly moving his head back towards hers to lightly kiss her on the forehead.  
  
            “You are _stunningly_ beautiful,” he purred salaciously in her ear, letting his brogue fully take over as he spoke.

  
            She let go of her lip, looking up at him with her hypnotizing blue eyes growing wide with what seemed like disbelief. He made a mental note to somehow acquire a list of every man who had broken her heart or had been cruel to her in order to do… _something_ bad to them. He figured that Belle most likely wouldn’t approve of him beating them to death with his cane like he wanted, but so help him; he’d still make them wish they’d never been born.  
  
            Not taking his eyes off her for even a second, he brought his wet digits to his lips; sensuously and greedily sucking his fingers dry of her juices that had begun to coat them.  


            She moaned with pleasure at the sight, making him growl hungrily in return before moving his head back down to her thighs, deciding to focus on lavishing them with kisses again, especially since he now had access to her bare, delicious skin. He alternated between kisses, licks and leaving little love bites up and down each of her thighs while he simultaneously rubbed them with his hands, making her squirm adorably as her breathing quickened.  
  
            Finally, after what felt like forever, he kissed his way up to her glistening sex, being careful to not accidentally scare her as he gently moved his tongue around and barely inside her folds. He could hear her cries magnifying once again, with her practically sobbing with want despite the fact he’d barely gotten started using his mouth on her.  
  
            In a stunning turn of events, while he was trying to ease her into what could possibly be new sensations for her, he felt not one, but _both_ her hands grasp the back of his head, keeping him where he was. He hummed with appreciation, diving into her folds like a starved man at a banquet. Gold could feel her body arch upwards as he heard her reverently say his name like a prayer to the heavens. He used his tongue on her in practically every way he remembered how, mentally taking notes of things she seemed to like more than others. He wanted to make damn sure she was thoroughly satisfied with his silver tongue, and, if he was lucky, grant him a ‘next time’ to bring her even more pleasure than before. Frankly, if it were up to him, even if she was somehow _never_ ready to more intimately share herself with him during a relationship between the two of them, he’d be completely satisfied with just this; the scent of her arousal making him dizzy, and tasting her delicious nectar on his tongue, never able to get enough of her.

 

            He nibbled and teased her thoroughly, finally inserting and crooking his fingers into her as he briefly took hold of her sensitive nub with his teeth before licking and sucking at it with fervor. He suddenly felt her clamp her thighs around his head as her entire body began to tremble. Surely, his voice was muffled a bit, and Lord only knows if she could even hear him past her increasingly loud moans of pleasure, but he couldn’t help but want to encourage her on:

 

            “That’s right, come for me… I’ve got you, sweetheart…” he purred.   


            At that moment, her torso arched upward as her hips thrust toward his mouth and fingers of their own accord. Even with his ears being covered by her thighs, he heard her _scream_ with pleasure as her channel tightened, then fluttered around his fingers as if subconsciously trying to pull him in further. It was undeniably erotic, and absolutely _wonderful_ , with him feeling nothing but pride that _he_ was the one who made her gloriously come apart at the seams. He eased her through her orgasm, wanting it to last as long as possible for her, before he felt her legs go limp enough to release his head from the vice-like grip of her thighs.  
  
            He looked up at her to find her eyes closed, but a look of total bliss encompassing her face nonetheless, with her cheeks still tinged a lovely red. A small smile curved at the edges of her lips as she shakily inhaled and exhaled with a happy sigh.

  
**********  


            Belle counted herself lucky to have a man with _this_ talented of a tongue in her now-weakened grasp. He gave her the most powerful orgasm she’d ever had in her life, and she couldn’t be happier, feeling like she was floating on air, as she lay weakly on her couch. Granted, Gold had been the first man to ever go down on her, giving her nothing to compare this experience to; however, she was glad that her own mind could not ruin the pleasure she felt at Gold’s hands (and _divine_ tongue) by comparing this experience with another she had in the past. The most she had ever experienced was a form of mutual masturbation with a previous boyfriend; but neither of them had fully removed any articles of clothing, and they had barely touched each other before the poor lad had spilled himself in his pants, leaving poor Belle sexually frustrated and unsatisfied.  
  
            All she could do for a moment was breathe as she felt her head spin, and marvel at how her body felt light as a feather. She then suddenly began to giggle lightly, covering her eyes and nose with the crook of her elbow to hide some of her embarrassment. He probably thought she looked and sounded like an absolute lunatic at this moment, but honestly, she couldn’t help it. This took her back to that proud night where she had found release at her own hands, and was happy as a clam about taking charge of what she wanted. Granted, that experience now _paled_ in comparison to this night, but that feeling of satisfaction with her own sexuality was there nonetheless, making her incredibly happy and emotional.  
  
            Once she had calmed herself a little, she finally found the courage to look at Gold once again. The look on his face didn’t look the least bit judgmental; in fact, he looked pleased as punch, and, on top of that, the look in his eyes conveyed what she could only view as _love_ , which only made her smile all the more.  
           

            She weakly gripped one of the armrests of her couch to let herself sit up, curling her legs inward and inviting Gold to sit back on the soft cushions with her. It looked to be a bit of a struggle, but he did so, still gazing upon her happily all the while. It was at this point; however, that she happened to notice that something was a bit _different_ about him now, and, for the life of her, she couldn’t stop _staring_ like an idiot.  
  
            Gold appeared to be _very_ hard, with his cock straining against his trousers, and practically twitching as she stared at it with fascination. She cocked her head a little as she slowly reached her hand out towards his rather impressive erection, before Gold gripped her wrist and captured her lips with his own.  
  
            This kiss was one of the most intoxicating things in the world to her, being able to taste not only what was Gold’s unique delicious flavor, but also herself on his lips, sensuously licking her pleasure off his lips as he moaned into her mouth.  
  
            “It’s okay, Belle… you don’t have to do anything…” he said, still smiling at her, while gently kissing and nuzzling the inside of her wrist.  
  
            “But… I _want_ to…” she breathed.  
  
            This was _definitely_ new for her, and honestly, despite how turned on she still was, and incredibly willing to ‘return the favor’, she was undoubtedly nervous. Gold expertly played her body like a finely tuned instrument, but could she offer even _remotely_ close to what he’d just given her in return? She briefly cursed her own inexperience before remembering Gold’s kind words, and how he liked her for who she was as a person, not what she could or couldn’t do sexually, which made her glow with pride as she extended a hand toward him, then slowly but surely guide him to her bedroom on wobbly legs as they walked hand-in-hand.   
  
            Granted, she could easily do what she wanted to do while he was seated on her couch, but she wanted him to be more comfortable, especially with his bad foot, which she sadly realized could be quite painful for him to deal with in the morning. In the meantime; however, if she could convey even a _fraction_ of how deliciously good and wanted he made her feel, she was more than happy to do so…  
  
            Once they reached her bed, she playfully pushed him backwards until he sat with a bit of a _thump_ onto the edge of her queen bed. She leaned down, capturing his lips as she began to touch him similarly to how he’d done to her. She ran her hands up and down his torso before she untucked his shirt from his pants, allowing her hands to rub along his bare chest, and feel him shiver with delight at her ministrations.

 

            She grew the slightest bit bolder, kneeling before him, and burying her head underneath the edges of his shirt to plant loving kisses on his torso where her hands had just been not long ago. Gold hissed with pleasure as she dared to leave little love bites in her wake, giggling cutely at the noises he made. She moved down to his pants, and gripping his belt buckle as she shyly met his eyes, seeking permission. He smiled and nodded, encouraging her onward.  
  
            She practically squirmed with delight as she fiddled with the buckle, and buttons and zipper of his pants, eventually moving them downwards until there were only his boxers blocking her from her target. For a moment, she could do nothing but stare again as she swallowed nervously, feeling her mouth suddenly go dry.

 

            To be fair, it’s not like she didn’t know what was underneath his boxers… After all, she _had_ taken sex-ed in high school, and even secretly dove into anatomy books in college out of curiosity. Hell, she had technically even _touched_ one once, but it was relatively dark at the time, and not only that, but this was the same boy who got excited a _little_ too quickly before she could take the time to thoroughly explore, let alone actually _look_ at one in person for the first time… That, and this was the first time she was truly tempted to touch one with not just her _hands_ , and she truly had _no_ clue what she was doing, poor thing. She took a deep breath through the nose, trying to muster up her courage, and she’d be lying if she said that his musky, male scent he was emitting wasn’t (much to her surprise) a _huge_ turn-on for her… She gulped, finally pulling his boxers away just enough to-

 

            _Oh my!_

 

            God help her, to her total embarrassment, Belle actually _jumped_ a bit when his cock sprang free from its cotton prison and towards her face, damn near knocking her backwards onto the floor behind her with surprise, with her only saving grace being her arms flying behind her to keep her from falling. She briefly looked back up at him with her face flaming, noticing he was looking away from her a bit; a blush encompassing his face as he chewed part of his bottom lip.  


            …Wait a second, _he_ was nervous? …To be fair, she _had_ practically jumped away from it like it was an _actual_ _snake_ , and not… _well_ … She shot him an apologetic smile before composing herself at least a little bit and moving back towards him again.  
  
            For a moment, she just looked at it as if the two of them were in a staring contest rather than her mentally preparing herself to use her mouth on him. It was practically turning purple from the strain, and she briefly wondered if that was causing him pain… It sure _looked_ like it would. She curiously cocked her head the slightest bit, blinking as if she half expected it to start talking to her or something, before chewing her lip in contemplation. Would… would this even fully _fit_ in her mouth? She knew that _surely_ girls her size and shape performed fellatio with no problem, but still, _his_ was awfully-  
  
            She suddenly heard Gold muffling a _very_ quiet snicker of laughter, making her look up at him just as curiously. Not _mad_ , just… curious.  
  
            The second she did, she noticed Gold removing a hand from his mouth, a small, humorous smile playing at his lips.  
  
            “I’m so sorry, darling, I would never _joke_ about something like this, honestly, I just… You look _adorable_ right now.” He said, petting her head lightly and caressing her cheek.  
  
            Belle let herself lean into his touch, rubbing her face affectionately on his hand.  
  
            “As I said, darling, you _really_ don’t have to do anything for me, especially if you’re not comfortable with it. It’s truly- _Ahhhh…._ ”  
  
            Being the sneaky little thing she was, Belle brought a single finger up to his cock and delicately ran the edge of her nail from the base all the way to the tip making him throw his head back and moan in pleasure, and his cock twitch. It may be true that she hadn’t used her mouth on anyone before, but, damnit, she was determined to make this good for him…  
  
            Before Gold could react much more, Belle leaned even _closer_ still, experimentally letting the tip of her tongue barely graze his skin near the tip, giggling lovingly when it twitched again. For goodness sake, she was already enjoying this _way_ too much, and she’d barely even gotten started! How _interesting_ …  
  
            She started off with small, near-innocent little licks, as if she were slowly eating an ice cream cone, or tasting a lollipop. If the sounds Gold was making were anything to go by, apparently she was doing good, which made her oh so happy…  
  
            She then grew bolder once again, suddenly licking him with the flat of her tongue from the base, all the way to the tip, following the same trail she had done with her fingernail. She heard Gold grunt a little, and saw that his eyes were shut tight, and he was tightly gripping the sheets of her bed as if in pain. She grew concerned, about to ask if she was hurting him, until suddenly, a bit of liquid came out of the tip of his cock, recapturing her attention.

 

            She cocked her head curiously as she watched it come seeping out and drip down his very erect cock. A certain urge hit her, making her run her tongue where the liquid had dripped, all the way back up to the tip once again. She smacked her lips a little once it was all on her tongue, inwardly cringing, and yet _loving_ how strangely obscene it sounded when she did so… Interestingly, this liquid actually didn’t taste bad as she feared it might… granted, it wasn’t necessarily _tasty_ to her by any means, but she figured that at least it not being _bad_ , per say, was good enough…

 

            It took her a minute, but finally it came (no pun intended) to her that this must be the substance known as ‘pre-cum’… Thinking back, the last time she had come in contact with a man’s sex in college, she _definitely_ didn’t feel this type of liquid. In fact, what she had felt (that she figured out shortly afterwards was cum) was most definitely… _thicker_ , now that she thought about it, so this most certainly wasn’t Gold’s cum... She recalled that, during that time when she sat in near-darkness next to her previous lover (if one would even count him as such since it was more like two college ‘kids’ ‘experimenting’ at a party once), she brought her hand up to her face to try and examine the substance now coating her hand. She watched as some of it dripped downwards onto her wrist and forearm, before she licked up a _very_ small taste of it, and cringing a bit at the flavor. Similar to Gold’s pre-cum, it wasn’t _bad_ , but still… This made her wonder if Gold’s cum would taste differently than the previous… _juices_ she had sampled before… Would it be sweet, maybe? Salty?  
  
            Her peaked curiosity now drove her actions forward, enthusiastically gripping Gold’s cock with one hand, then feeling around for, and finally grasping, his balls with the other. She toyed with both, quickly discovering she vastly preferred the texture of his cock over his balls, now shifting so _both_ her hands could grip him somehow. She then _finally_ took the tip of him in her mouth, making Gold emit the cutest little grunts and groans of pleasure…. Well, cute to _her_ , anyways…  
  
            She sucked with fervor, enjoying the combined taste of his skin and pre-cum that kept seeping out of him, eventually removing her hands, in favor of just her mouth. She had already started steadily breathing through her nose, but her breath quickened a bit before she finally ‘took the plunge’, so to speak, and fit as much of him as she could into her mouth, nearly making her gag, and bringing tears to her eyes for a moment because of it. She quickly released him with a sinful _pop_ , gasping for breath for a minute while she thought about how to do this without choking.  
  
            As she examined the ‘situation’, as it were, she felt Gold bring a _very_ obviously trembling hand to her head, not to grip her hard like she’d seen in a movie once (and no, not _that_ kind of ‘movie’), but to simply pet her head once again as he emitted little sputtering noises, as if attempting to talk, but rendered unable. At least, unable, until he choked out:  
  
            “W-watch the _teeth_ , _dear_ ….” He said, half drooling as he spoke before shutting his eyes again.  
  
            He most likely couldn’t see it, but she gazed upon him with what she could only define as _love_ before leaning back in to lavish attentions on his cock.  
  
            She bobbed her head up and down slowly, adjusting to the sensation before finally going faster. Gold emitted some _very_ loud moans of pleasure, and seemingly doing his best to control the, in reality, virtually uncontrollable thrusting of his hips towards her mouth, until she heard him attempt to speak again:  
  
            “Gon-…. C-cu-….cuuuu-“  
  
            She barely had time to figure out what he could be trying to tell her before she felt his cock twitch, and briefly enlarge even more before she felt it practically _explode_ in her mouth. She emitted a muffled squeak of surprise as the taste of his orgasm hit her tongue, and very quickly hit the rest of her mouth as well. Her mouth was getting fuller and fuller, and she briefly began panicking when she wondered if she could actually take it all in her mouth. Nevertheless, she soldiered on, doing her best to ease him through his orgasm, until he finally collapsed backward with his back thumping onto Belle’s mattress. She delighted at the sound of him sighing an adorable little sigh of contentment.  
  
            She made the mistake of briefly forgetting the condition she was currently in, opening her mouth just a bit to speak before covering it back up with one of her hands. Thankfully, it wasn’t much, but some of Gold’s seed spilled out of her mouth, dribbling down her chin and neck, and spots of it landing on her covered chest and belly. For a moment, she was conflicted. She knew she had to do _something_ with it, but… _what_ , exactly? She obviously knew she could spit it out somewhere if she _really_ wanted, or needed, to, but that felt strangely _wrong_ to her for some reason…  
  
            As she kept her hand over her mouth, debating her options, she saw Mr. Gold weakly sit back up with a bit of a groan. He seemed to have come back to his senses somewhat, at least until he caught sight of her, with her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, and a hand over her mouth, probably looking like she was going to be sick.  
  
            When Gold looked at her in that moment, something clicked. Gazing into his eyes made her brain pause its whirling gears for a moment, enough to actually acknowledge the taste of Gold’s cum. When she really thought about it, it actually tasted like… like…   
  
            Her eyes widened. She wasn’t sure how it was even possible, but she could swear it tasted like… _whiskey_. Granted, it was also touch salty as she guessed it could possibly be, but nonetheless, it somehow had the slight taste of whiskey. _Very expensive_ whiskey. The kind of whiskey two people in love brought out when they weren’t quite feeling like opening up a bottle of wine, but wanted to ‘loosen up’, as it were, preparing to spend a long, glorious night enveloped in each other’s arms, laughing and passionately kissing happily before it _incredibly_ heated, and…  
  
            Belle knew what she wanted to do.  
  
            She removed her hand from her face, pursing her lips to keep any from dripping out again. She tilted her head back a little, and swallowed his seed down in two gulps, before gasping for a breath of air, feeling some of the remnants dribble down the side of her mouth as she breathed. Granted, she _wanted_ to swallow it all in one gulp, but she felt like there was _so much_ of it, that she was genuinely afraid she’d choke on it.

 

            Gold definitely didn’t seem to mind though, as he stared at her with his mouth agape with what appeared to be shock. She smiled bashfully, looking down at her lap and twiddling her thumbs as a massive blush overtook her face once again. She heard Gold clear his throat, and looked up at him.  
  
            He extended a hand towards her, with his other hand gently patting some empty space beside him on the bed. She gladly took his hand, and rose to meet him. She surprised him; however, by briefly straddling him on his lap, sensuously grinding her naked sex on top of his slightly limp cock as she kissed him tenderly. Gold practically _growled_ , with his tongue seeking out hers, and simultaneously licking up his own seed from the inside of her mouth.  
  
            She broke away from him, causing him to whimper a bit as she then moved past him, crawling up to the edge of her sheets and pulling them back just enough to where she could dive underneath them playfully, giggling as she did so. Her eyebrows rose upward challengingly as she looked at him, causing him to smirk at her, and then crawl towards where she was, playfully tickling her before joining her under the sheets. She bit her lip before reaching for a lamp beside her, and flicking it off, making everything go dark.  
  
            He seemed to shift a bit next to her, and judging by his silhouette, he seemed to be removing more articles of clothing to get more comfortable. A seemingly crazy thought ran through her head as she watched his form in the darkness, causing her to impulsively remove her dress and her bra entirely, leaving her gloriously naked.  
  
            For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why these strange impulses were coming to life when she was around Gold… She _had_ been around boys that she dreamt of kissing and groping passionately before, but even when she got to a point where she could’ve done exactly that with some of them, and possibly more, she had stopped, apologizing profusely, not wanting to actually go that route with them, and feeling like there was something… _missing_. She knew for certain that she lusted after those people, including Gold, sure, but only Gold made her feel like that ‘missing piece’ wasn’t ‘missing’ anymore.   
  
            She now knew 100% for certain that she wanted to share herself with Gold… or, at least, share herself _more_ with Gold. She definitely learned some handy little tricks tonight to make him happy, but a little voice in her head couldn’t stop mumbling about being nervous about her ‘first time’, even if it was with a man she… _cared_ about. She made a mental note to call up Ruby at some point to ask for her advice. If she had the strength to tell her friends about this night, _surely_ she could move towards this topic with them, right?  
  
            She smiled and sighed happily before boldly sneaking up behind Gold. Before he could turn to face her, she slowly wrapped her arm around him, leaning up and nibbling on his earlobe as she pressed her _entire_ body against his side. She heard him sharply inhale, and practically freeze as she did so.  
  
            “Good night, _darling_ …” she purred into his ear.  
  
            She nuzzled against him, letting his scent take over her mind, as her eyelids grew heavy.  
  
            The last thing she heard was Gold sigh happily as well, as he covered her hand with one of his own, whispering,  
  
            “Good night, sweetheart…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES, I PROMISE THERE WILL BE MORE POSH CAT AND AWESOME FRIENDS BEING AWESOME N STUFF NEXT CHAPTER!!!  
> Wanted to put them in this one, but it got SUUUUUPER long with Gold and Belle being SUPER awkward n stuff, and i was like 'well, shit', so now they're just two separate chapters. Plus I figured nobody would mind there being a super long chapter of smut, so there you go. XD
> 
> Also this is now becoming a full, multiple-chapter story! Woo!  
> I don't envision this being, like, Gnomeland Security-length, per say, but it's obviously gonna be at least three chapters now, so there's that lol
> 
> ...and just so we're clear, for anybody who's possibly confused about Belle's 'experiences' (idfk), despite the fact that Belle technically HAS had sexual encounters (though VERY few) before she confesses her feelings to Gold, she hasn't had specifically penetrative sex with anybody as of yet, thus she believes her virginity is still in tact. Mostly mentioning this cause I find that some people have different beliefs as to what defines losing one's virginity, especially when you examine cases of rape from a woman's perspective and things like that. SO YEAH.
> 
> See ya next chapter, folks! *rides into the sunset*


	3. My Friends of the Social Elite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dorks are continuing to be dorks, and shenanigans happen during a girls' night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT THIS TOOK FOREVER TO FINISH *facedesk*  
> Was UBER busy with rl stuff, but this actually took way longer to edit rather than to write despite this chapter getting REALLY long... Think I read through this chapter like, what, five times total after it was done?? Which doesn't include how many times I reread chapters for errors and whatnot, so if there's anything obviously messed up in here, i'm probably going to feel REALLY dumb lol
> 
> Also was trying to write chapter outlines for the rest of this story since I had SOME but not a whole lot, and don't wanna find myself reeling in the middle of a plot hole I can't get out of... I'm SURE they'll all get edited in one way or another as it goes along since characters will literally hijack my damn storylines sometimes, but we'll see what happens lol
> 
> Thanks SO much for the continued support, and enjoy the chapter you adorable little cinnamon rolls, you! <3
> 
> ******
> 
> SPOILER/WARNING: COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY SHAMELESS RED BEAUTY AFOOT  
> It's really pretty tame, and nothing all that 'serious' happens, but still, if you're not into that ship, feel free to stop reading this chapter a bit after Belle gets home from work and she hears a knock on her door.  
> ....And no, this fic isn't about to go full-on Red Beauty, I just couldn't friggin resist cause I'm garbage and fave OUAT fem ship is fave (Besides Mulan x Aurora) <3 <3 <3

           The next morning was absolutely _lovely_ , with Belle adoring the sensation of waking up in Gold’s arms. She sighed contentedly, snuggling up to him for a bit longer, before wishing him ‘Good morning’ and giving him a kiss on the nose. However, it was only when one of her bare nipples happened to graze Gold’s chest that she fully realized she was stark naked underneath the sheets.  
  
            She began to feel a touch self-conscious at that moment, scooting away from him and pulling the sheets up practically as far as she could up her torso. She was aware that _technically_ they hadn’t had sex yet, but this mood practically made it feel like they _had_ , and she couldn’t help but feel a little at war with herself. _Oh_ how she craved to be completely sexually open with this man who treated her with such care _right now_ , but to do so would go against what she previously determined was best for her. She found herself caught in a strange limbo of wanting to throw caution to the wind and let him take her then and there, and also wanting to hide herself away and presumably _never_ take their relationship further so she wouldn’t have to deal with the extreme nervousness she felt anymore.  
  
            She watched carefully as Gold mumbled groggily, then practically bolted upward when, presumably, he realized Belle was not at his side, only for his face to soften and tilt sideways in confusion once he saw the conflicted look on her face.  
  
            “What’s the matter, dearie?” he asked her gently.  
  
            Poor Belle couldn’t help but flush with embarrassment yet again.  
  
            “I’m so sorry… it’s _truly_ not your fault, it’s just… I guess I’m a touch _nervous_ , seeing as I’ve never been, well, _fully exposed_ around a man before…” she said, biting her lip.  
  
            She realized how naïve and possibly even _indecisive_ she must sound to him after all they’d been through (and _done_ ), only to be surprised by his patience yet again when Gold gently covered one of her hands with his.  
  
            “The _last_ thing you should be feeling is _sorry_ right now. In fact, you should be feeling quite _proud_ , seeing as you exhibited so much bravery last night…” he said with a small smile.  
  
            She lowered her eyes to where their hands were joined, smiling bashfully at his compliment. Her breath couldn’t help but hitch; however, when he lifted his hand away to softly grasp her chin, and lift it in order for her to look him in the eyes.  
  
            “If you’re not comfortable with me seeing you completely undressed, I’d be more than happy to look away, or simply leave the room for a while if you wish.” He said, with his eyes gleaming with sincerity.  
  
            She stiffened with nervousness, causing Gold to immediately pull his hand away. Belle bit her lip, with her hands fidgeting with the edges of the sheet she still held nervously over her body until she seemed to come to a decision. She briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath in and out before looking Gold directly in the eye as she released the sheet, letting it flutter down into her lap.  
  
            Gold couldn’t help but gape at the sight he now saw in front of him, trying _so_ hard not to simply _stare_ at her like some kind of pervert, but finding himself unable to resist, and ultimately rendered speechless.  
  
            “ _Sweetheart…_ ” he practically whispered in awe.  
  
            Gold could hardly believe his good fortune as he got to run his eyes greedily up and down her torso, memorizing every square inch of her luscious skin. Her eyes were cast downward once again with nervousness, but she happened to glance up at him from underneath her eyelashes, almost as if silently asking for his approval, and he could have died then and there from how absolutely adorable her expression was. 

            Beams of sunlight peeked through one of the windows of Belle’s bedroom, illuminating her lithe form like she was a beautiful painting that had come to life.  
  
            Her face was practically cherry red under his heated gaze, and, much to his delight, that beautiful blush not only extended to her ears, but had begun traveling downward as well, coloring her collarbones and continuing downward towards her pert breasts. Oh and what _lovely_ breasts they were, at that. Just by _looking_ at them alone, he already determined they would fit _ever_ so nicely in his hands if she deemed him worthy of touching her bare, ivory skin. Her nipples had also hardened into nubs, most likely from the cold she suddenly exposed herself to; however, for just a moment, Gold dared himself to believe that it was possibly caused by _arousal_ instead, which made a delightful shiver run down his spine.

  
            In fact, now that he thought about it, he’d pay all the money in the world for a painting to made of her looking just like she did in this moment. Initially, he would hang it in the master bedroom of his home to admire; however, if she granted him permission, he’d _much_ rather proudly hang it in his living room, not to objectify, but glorify this _goddess_ of a woman, and ensure that she, and the rest of the world for that matter, never questioned her pure beauty ever again.  
  
            He snapped himself out of his fantasy when Belle seemed to squirm uncomfortably where she sat. Whether she was starting to get nervous again, or if she was simply cold, he was unsure, but he looked away from her with a slight blush forming on his face.  
  
            The two of them sat in a peaceful, if not slightly awkward silence for a moment, until Belle cleared her throat, trying _so_ hard to say _something_ , bless her heart.  
  
            “Umm… could… could I…?” she began, hesitantly pointing to Gold’s dress shirt that lay sprawled out on the floor next to the bed.  
  
            It took poor Gold a moment to figure out what exactly she was asking, but when realization dawned on him, his heart sang and felt himself floating on air as he, without hesitation, leaned down and picked up his shirt for her, extending it outward without looking at her form again. He hated to even _risk_ ruining this sudden extra spurt of bravery that encouraged Belle to let him see her [mostly] completely naked, but he knew he had to do the right thing.  
  
            “Please don’t feel like you need to… _push yourself_ to ‘impress’ me. I’m more than open to receiving whatever you wish to give, but I want you to be _comfortable_ and _willing_ more than anything-“  
  
            Gold was cut off when he felt the mattress dip a bit as she shifted her weight towards him, and her soft lips kissed him on the cheek.  
  
            His face flamed as he looked back at her questioningly, only to see her smile and giggle bashfully as she now sat next to him wearing his shirt. It didn’t last incredibly long; however, since she almost immediately rose up from the bed, walked to her dresser, and pulled open the top drawer. Her eyes darted around inside the open drawer until she seemed to find what she was looking for, pulling out a pair of panties that, low and behold, brilliantly matched Gold’s shirt that she was wearing. She slowly turned her head toward him with a sneaky smile and a single, questioning eyebrow arching upwards. Gold could only nod stupidly in approval as he then witnessed her bend at the waist and slowly pull them onto her body, with them disappearing underneath his shirt. When she was finished, she winked at him saucily before opening the door to her bedroom and sashaying away to her little kitchen, hips swaying invitingly as she went.  
  
            Good _God_ this woman was going to kill him, and he’d absolutely welcome it.  
  
******  
  
            The rest of their morning went _significantly_ easier (and a lot less awkwardly) when Belle made the two of them tea, and their interactions turned into sensual touches and gentle, yet passionate kisses. This had gone on for quite awhile until a rather annoyed-sounding ‘meow’ reached their ears, making them break away from each other and burst out laughing.  
  
            Belle happily fed the hungry Duchess her breakfast, while Gold watched contentedly from his spot in a kitchen chair, wishing they didn’t have to leave for their individual jobs a bit later.  


            “Are you… _busy_ this week?” Gold asked.  
  
            “A little… I promised Ruby and Emma another girls’ night this week, and I have boxes of new books for the library to go through and categorize, but I believe I should be available on Friday evening…” she said shyly.  
  
            “If you’re willing, I’d very much enjoy it if you could come over to my house for dinner… We can bring in food again if you’d like, but perhaps _I_ could cook for you this time instead?” Gold said.  
  
            Belle could practically see the hopefulness in his eyes as he spoke, which made her smile. As much as he could be a suave, smooth gentleman, it tickled her pink to know she could make him nervous and bashful sometimes, too.  
  
            “I’d _love_ to.” She said kindly.  
  
            She walked over to him with a certain sexiness Gold felt only Belle could achieve, and was pleasantly surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck and sat on his lap (thankfully leaning more on his better leg).  
  
            “Is… is this alright?” she asked quietly, with her eyes practically already half-lidded with lust.  
  
            “Of _course_ …” Gold breathed, closing the distance between them and kissing her passionately.  
  
            They sat where they were for what felt like _hours_ , practically melting into each other as their breathing grew faster, and their hands began exploring each other once again, until Belle’s cell phone rang making them both practically jump out of their skin.  
  
            Belle reluctantly shifted off of his lap, going over to her phone to see what the commotion was about, but then emitted a sharp intake of breath and practically _ran_ to her bedroom.  
  
            “Are you alright?” Mr. Gold asked.  
  
            “O-Oh, yes! That was my ‘15 minute warning’ alarm, if you will, for when I try to leave for work!” she said hurriedly.  
  
            She couldn’t see it by this point, but Gold’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.  
  
            “May I assist you in some way?” he asked, beginning to walk towards her bedroom.  
  
            “ _No!_ Errr… thank you, but no!” Belle continued, beginning to sound out of breath.  
  
            She emerged from her room once more now fully dressed, approaching him and gently handing him his shirt back to him with an apologetic smile.  
  
            “I need to leave for work, but you’re more than welcome to stay here for a bit after I leave if you like, especially if you feel you… need a _shower_ or anything… I mean, you could stay here _all day_ and I wouldn’t mind, but-”  
  
            Mr. Gold chuckled as she began to ramble a bit, cutting her off with a gentle kiss that made her sigh happily into his mouth.  
  
            When he finally broke away from her, Belle appeared to be wearing quite the goofy grin on her face as her face flushed a bit with arousal.  
  
            “Or, you know, you can do whatever you want I suppose…” Belle giggled nervously.  
  
            Mr. Gold leaned towards her ear, beginning to whisper.  
  
            “ _Trust_ _me_ , if I had the opportunity, I’d spend the entire day between your thighs pleasuring you until you _scream_ , or can barely remember your own name… or better yet, _both_ , if you’d have me…” he practically purred in her ear.  
  
            A delightful shiver ran down her spine as Belle emitted a shaky sigh of pleasure. His voice practically _oozed_ sex at the moment, and she felt like all her late night fantasies of him talking dirty to her just came true, and it was _glorious_. For a moment, she couldn’t move, _incredibly_ torn between essentially saying ‘screw it’, and letting herself indulge in him just one more time and risk being late for work, or being a responsible adult and leaving before her emotions carried her away.  
  
            She rather reluctantly chose the latter option, but couldn’t resist stealing an open-mouthed kiss on his neck to commit the flavor of his skin to memory for the day, making Gold groan in pleasure before she backed away from him and went toward the door. She blew him a kiss and winked at him before leaving the little flat, closing the door behind her.  
  
*******  
           

            As Belle rushed down the long flight of stairs to the library, she giggled happily to herself. Last night had been _amazing_ , and she felt _great_ , but one particular issue wormed its way into her mind again: her virginity. It made her pause for a moment, not out of fear, but _nervousness_. Last night, she felt that she had, quite frankly, gotten incredibly _lucky_ that her awkward fumbling lead to their time together being quite pleasurable, even without involving ‘traditional’ sex.

           

            Thankfully, Mr. Gold was able to provide her with some help and advice, making it _far_ less embarrassing to ease herself into the new and exciting experience she got to share with him, but she was still _very_ much inexperienced. She had read a _little_ bit online out of curiosity long before her and Mr. Gold confessed their feelings for one another, and she obviously knew the ‘basic mechanics’, if you will, but she still wanted it to be _special_. What if she (figuratively) screwed it up? Or worse, what if she accidentally hurt him somehow? She’d _never_ forgive herself if anything particularly ‘bad’ happened while they were…well…  
  
            As she sat behind the circulation desk that day, her mind kept straying to those fears, making her virtually unable to concentrate on what she wanted to do today in the library. She sighed, resigning herself to a lunch break a bit early, locking herself in her office. She then picked up her phone and texted Ruby.  
  
            _Hey, you got time to talk really quick?_  
  
            She had barely put her phone down onto the desk in front of her when her phone buzzed.  
  
            _For you? Of course I do! <3 Gimme 2 minutes!_  
  
            Belle smiled at the message. Ruby was a _great_ friend, and she’d never stop being thankful that Ruby had taken a chance that fateful day at the diner and encouraged Belle to open up to someone.  
  
            Belle picked up her phone on the first ring when Ruby called.  
  
            “So, _Ruby…_ Ummm… well, I wanted to know if-“  
  
            “…This is about a guy, isn’t it?” Ruby said, cutting her off.  
  
            Belle’s eyes widened in surprise, and even blushed a bit, despite the fact she was the only person in her office.  
  
            “How did you know?” she asked her.  
  
            “Girl, are you _serious_? One of the _only_ times you get super nervous on the phone is if it has to do with a guy, or sex or _both_.” Ruby said saucily.  
  
            “Alright, you got me, Rubes, but seriously, this is _super_ personal, and I need some advice…” she began.  
  
            Belle then proceeded to tell her at least a _bit_ about what happened with Mr. Gold (conveniently leaving out the fact that it was _Mr. Gold_ , and also what had happened in the library), very shyly admitting her ‘secret’, and admitting that she had _no_ clue what to do when it came to ‘losing it’.  
  
            “Let me stop you right there.” Ruby began. “I am officially declaring an emergency girls meeting, _tonight_!” she said happily.  
  
            “Wait, _tonight_?! How on Earth are you going to pull _that_ off?”  
  
            “I have my ways, Belle, I have my ways. You better spill _everything_ later, too… I can _tell_ there are other juicy details you’re holding back right now, and hey, maybe it’ll help with ‘planning’ things! I’ll text you later!” she said with a hint of a giggle before hanging up.

 

            Belle sighed and shook her head, sounding a bit exasperated, yet happy. Ruby was a bit impulsive and ‘out there’, yes, but she really did need someone like Ruby in her life. She was one of those friends who would be there for you no matter what, and Belle had nothing for respect for that.  
  
            Regardless, her night just got _significantly_ more interesting…  
  
******

 

            Gold was quite astounded that she let him get away with ‘talking dirty’ to her as it were, since they were still establishing ‘boundaries’ of sorts in their relationship, mostly for Belle’s sake, but the reward had _definitely_ been worth the risk. He didn’t think he’d _ever_ get enough of her being caught by surprise by something he said or did, since her reactions were _incredibly_ sensual in his eyes, and turned him on something fierce. This morning was no exception, with him, in a way, quite literally begging her for the opportunity to worship her body again, propriety be damned.

 

            He was a touch disappointed when she had to go to work, but he did understand. After all, they were adults that needed to make a living. However, this didn’t change the fact that she left poor Gold half-hard and not knowing what to do at that point. He found himself nervously pacing, trying to think of something that _wasn’t_ Belle. Something that _wasn’t_ her sweet, luscious skin… or her sensual mewls of pleasure when he’d kissed her in just the right ways, or the bashful, adorable look on her face when she’d let him view her torso in all its soft, creamy glory, and-  
  
            This wasn’t helping one bit.  
  
            Now that he thought about it, Belle _had_ said he was welcome to a shower, hadn’t she? That may actually help him out, provided he take a _cold_ shower… or possibly take a _hot_ one, instead. This _new_ set of choices only made him more conflicted, and he was _screwed_ (figuratively, anyways).  


            In the end, he decided to take her up on her offer of a shower, which did, in fact, help him out quite a bit. Granted, borrowing her floral-scented shampoo was a bit awkward, but he figured it was worth it if it meant clearing his head in order to think properly and sensibly today…  
  
            Eventually, he got fully dressed again, and hobbled his way down the stairs towards the back of the library to (hopefully) make a swift exit so as not to cause suspicion, or worse yet, embarrass poor Belle. Interestingly, by the time he stepped through the door into the library (after double and _triple_ checking that there weren’t people nearby), Belle was waltzing toward him with numerous books in her hand. Surely she was near this area to reshelf some books, but the mischievous smile she gave him upon spotting him made him want to pick her up and kiss that little smirk off her face.  
  
            He gave her a polite smile and a nod in acknowledgement before going further towards the back exit as a goodbye. Before he could go out the door though, he felt a small hand yank one of his sleeves backwards and turn him around to be met with a brief, yet bone-melting kiss. Belle broke away from him with a whispered “See you later”, and a mischievous wink filled with exciting, unspoken promises. He sighed happily and left the library.  
  
            Despite the fact he was more or less forced to put on a mask of indifference outside the library’s doors, he couldn’t help but smile brightly on the inside, and on the outside during moments he found himself alone, for the rest of the day.

  
*******

            Belle’s day practically flew by after she got to see Mr. Gold one last time, even if it was brief. The library ended up being busy enough to keep her on her toes, but manageable enough where she could (finally) do a lot of organizing and whatnot that she had wanted to do today, making the rest of her projected work week a _lot_ easier.  
  
            At the end of the day, she practically skipped into her little flat, cleaned up a bit, and fed and took care of Duchess for the night. She took a shower and changed into her pajamas before utterly flopping down on her bed, still giggly and happy before her head happened to move towards the pillow Mr. Gold’s head had been laying on last night. She felt her cheeks grow warmer as she slowly slid herself upwards until her head was completely on the pillow. She decided to indulge herself, taking a nice big whiff of it, and couldn’t help but sigh dreamily in reaction to a scent she could now identify as purely _him_ , and nothing else.  
  
            She was knocked out of her revelry; however, when she heard a knock on the door. Belle answered the door, trying _very_ hard to stay calm, but losing composure a little when she found an amused looking Ruby and a giggling Emma before her.

  
            “Told ya I had my ways! Now are you gonna let us in or what?” Ruby joked.  
  
            Belle couldn’t help but smile shyly. She had to hand it to her, she had been skeptical, but Ruby really _did_ have her ways.  
  
            “Plus we brought wine! _WINE,_ I tell you!” She said, revealing a large bottle of red wine she apparently had hiding behind her back, cuing Emma to reveal another equally large bottle behind her back as well.

 

            “Oh, hell, why not?” Belle said, opening the door fully, letting her friends joyfully bound into the little flat.  
  
******  
  
            It took practically no time at all for the trio of friends to head to Belle’s room, sitting on, or near, her bed, opening up their wine and ordering a pizza while Duchess sat near Emma, surprisingly letting Emma pet her. However, once Belle had come back up to her flat after retrieving their pizza, something finally occurred to her.  
  
            “How on _Earth_ did you two actually get up to my front door without me letting you in, anyway?” Belle asked them, particularly Ruby.  
  
            “You gave me a spare key ‘just in case’, remember? Seemed like a good of a time as any to actually _use_ it for once!” Ruby giggled before taking a gulp of wine.  
  
            Belle chuckled, rolling her eyes with exasperation.  
  
            “To be fair, this _is_ supposed to be an ‘emergency meeting’, isn’t it?” Emma said, playfully poking Belle’s ribs from her place on the floor. “So what’s up, anyways? I heard a _little_ bit from Ruby, but not much, so _spill_!” she said.

 

            Belle bit her lip, hugging the pillow she rested her head on earlier tight to her chest like a shield, which made Ruby and Emma both emit a bit of an “awww” noise with how adorable her shyness was.

 

            “Well… actually… _Mr._ _Gold_ -“

 

            Before Belle could finish her sentence, Ruby let out an excited little gasp, and Emma almost did a spit take with her wine, with her being the first to chime in.  
  
            “God, _finally_! He’s not _my_ cup of tea, per say, but by the way you’ve described him be- _OW_!”  
  
            Ruby roughly shoved Emma in the ribs with her foot to shut her up, briefly glaring at her with wide eyes before turning her attention back to her other friend. Ruby silently thanked whatever deity would listen that Belle was too busy swooning over her crush to notice Emma’s bluntness. Sure, they both knew _far_ before now that Belle had it _bad_ for Mr. Gold, but Ruby knew that if Belle ever found out even _half_ the confessions she previously made about Gold while she was drunk, she’d be devastated and incredibly embarrassed, and she didn’t want to put poor Belle through that.  
  
            “What Emma’s _trying_ to say is that he _is_ rather easy on the eyes, and certainly not _ugly_ by any stretch of the imagination, but honey, so help me, if he’s cruel to you, I’m not afraid to slash his tires!” Ruby said, eyes wide.  
  
            “Which I would _gladly_ look the other way for!” Emma chimed back in.  
  
            Goodness knows that having Emma on the police force would work to their advantage in that; Belle had no doubts about that.  
  
            “He wouldn’t _do_ that!” Belle began defensively. “I knew he was a gentleman from the start, but _oh_ there’s so much more to him than even _I_ thought!” she said dreamily.  
  
            Ruby couldn’t help but smile as Belle described some of the things Mr. Gold had done for her and said to her. She found herself impressed with Gold’s swagger, and rather surprised at his kind actions and words. Clearly Emma was too, if her utterly shocked (and quite frankly, _hilarious_ ) expression was anything to go by. It was quite amusing how Belle always seemed to be willing to share _way_ more personal things once a bit of wine or beer loosened her up.  
  
            “… and there’s this thing he does with his _tongue_ that just makes me-“

 

            Emma was, once again, the first one to react, snapping out of her state of shock when Duchess batted at her hand with one of her delicate paws, seemingly upset that Emma had stopped petting her.  
  
            “OOOOOKAY! I’m gonna stop ‘ya there, mostly cause I _really_ don’t need that image in my head, thank you very much…” Emma said with a bit of a nervous chuckle.  
  
            Ruby practically almost fell off the bed laughing while poor Belle finally realized just how much she was sharing, making her blush furiously.  
  
            “Anyways! Seriously, you think he could he could be _the one_ , huh?” Ruby said, eyebrows wiggling playfully.

 

            Emma looked a bit panicked again, immediately eyeing Belle.  
  
            “Wait, are you talking about _marriage_ with him already?!” she said.  
  
            Now it was Belle’s turn to look a bit alarmed, waving off Emma’s concerns.  
  
            “Oh, no! Certainly not! Ruby’s talking about… well… ummm…”  
  
            The poor thing had started off strong, believing she finally had the courage to say it out loud, but she lost it at the last minute, fidgeting with the edges of the pillow she still held onto. Thankfully, Ruby jumped in to save the day again.  
  
            “Belle’s talking about losing her virginity to Gold.” Ruby said surprisingly seriously to Emma.  
  
            “Oh, wait, that’s _it_?” Emma responded.

 

            She earned herself equally confused stares from both Belle and Ruby at that moment. Even Dutchess seemed to be wondering what was now going on, looking almost expectantly at Emma.  
  
            “Look, I don’t know if you had originally planned on ‘saving yourself for marriage’, or even just planned on sharing ‘it’ with someone you think is _really_ worthy or whatever, but here’s the thing: I know what you’re going through. I’ve been down this road before too, and I can tell you right now that it’s not as scary as you’re probably making it seem in your head. It’s still very much a social norm for women, much more so than men, to be cautioned about ‘losing their virginity’ as if some part of them is going to _die_ or something the second they have sex with a man, or even a woman depended on your perspective. My first time was with the latter. Her name was Lily, I thought it was special, I didn’t, and _don’t_ , regret a single thing about it, and afterwards, I realized I was freaking out over _nothing_. Your ‘first time’ is, or, in the very least, _seems like_ a big deal because you’re intimately sharing yourself with someone you _really_ care about, which is what matters the most above anything else, other than using protection of course… It can seem nerve wracking, but guess what? Your partner’s going to love you for being _you_ , and if they’re actually worth their salt, they shouldn’t be criticizing you about how you choose to go about it, since they’re damn lucky you’re picking _them_ in the first place! Plus, if they end up being ‘ _the_ one’ down the road, both of you will have _plenty_ of time to learn what you each want and like. Seriously, don’t sweat it too much, you’re gonna be fine.”  
  
            Both Belle _and_ Ruby alike stared at their friend, mouths agape. It would seem that _neither_ of them expected Emma’s little ‘speech’, although Ruby definitely seemed impressed.

 

            “…Well, then! I suppose that gets the ‘motivational speech’ out of the way, doesn’t it? Well said, by the way, and couldn’t have come up with a better ‘talk’ than that if I tried!” Ruby complimented, playfully smacking Emma on the back.  
  
            “It’s no big deal, really, but thanks I guess.” Emma responded with a small smile.  
            “Well, that _does_ make me feel quite a bit better about the ‘act’ itself I suppose, but I don’t know anything about ‘creating the mood’, you know?” Belle said, with adorable, almost pleading eyes as she looked at Ruby and Emma.  
  
            “Never fear, my friend, this is _definitely_ my area of expertise, and you’re in capable, manicured hands!” Ruby said as she playfully nudged Belle.  
  
            As Ruby began to talk, bringing up _all_ kinds of delightfully perverted things and making Belle continue to blush like crazy, Emma briefly zoned out a bit. Duchess had clearly stopped paying attention to the lot of them for a moment, elegantly grooming herself before walking gracefully towards Belle’s closet for whatever reason, leaving Emma with virtually nothing to do with her hands. She sighed a bit, looking about the room as she listened to Ruby’s chatter, when she happened to notice some light catch on something under Belle’s bed. Curiosity got the better of her, slowly reaching under the bed towards what she saw, only to almost jam her hand on something _significantly_ larger than she anticipated. Now she was even _more_ curious, reaching both hands under the bed and pulling out-

 

            … _Oh Lord._

 

            “I _knew_ you had erotica hiding under your bed, you liar!” Emma exclaimed triumphantly, pulling out a large partially see-through container holding a _bunch_ of ‘suspicious’ looking books.  
  
            Ruby’s hand flew to her mouth in an attempt to cover up her giggles that threatened to escape her lips more and more as Belle hid her face in her hands with embarrassment.  
  
            “Okay, _okay_ , you _caught_ me! Well, not _really_ , actually, since it’s a Y.A. fantasy series, but-“  
  
            “…Seriously, this one right here is called _Fantasy Lover_ , and you’re _still_ trying to convince us this isn’t porn?” Emma chuckled.  
             
            “It’s _seriously_ not what it looks like, I _swear_!” Belle cried, with her hands flailing about dramatically.  
  
            After that, even Ruby got into it, glancing at some of the other titles Belle had hiding in the box.  
  
            “Oh my _gosh_ , and this one’s called _Seize the Night_! Girl, I love you, but I think I’m starting to agree with Emma on this one! …Also, I might have to borrow some of these from you some time!” Ruby giggled.  
  
            Belle absolutely _lost_ it with all three of them giggling madly by this point. She really did have some of the coolest friends ever. After that, both Ruby _and_ Emma were chiming in, giving Belle ‘romantic mood’ advice, but Belle didn’t even remotely expect the moment it turned almost more ‘scandalous’ than she could handle.  
  
            “So remember how I was mentioning kissing earlier?” Ruby asked her.

 

            “Umm, yes, what about it?” Belle responded.  
  
            “Well, you know how to turn him on with that, don’t you?” she asked.  
  
            Belle had put down the pillow she was holding quite a while ago, which she now somewhat regretted doing. She twiddled her thumbs, feeling like a naïve child, and she didn’t much care for that, but, honestly, she didn’t really know what else to do just then, either.  
  
            “I… I _think_ so? I mean, he _seemed_ to like what I did I suppose, but- _MMPH?!_ ”  
  
            Out of seemingly nowhere, Ruby leaned forward, kissing Belle straight on the lips, bewildering the bejesus out of Emma and Belle alike. Emma couldn’t help but stare, similarly to how one would watch a train wreck. Granted, a really _hot_ train wreck, but that was beside the point.  
  
            Belle was _definitely_ surprised at first, with her eyes widening as Ruby’s remained closed, but she seemed to almost melt into it a little with her eyes fluttering closed as they went. Granted, Emma obviously had _no_ clue what Ruby was doing, but _clearly_ Belle seemed to pick up on whatever message Ruby was trying to get across. Emma could swear she could practically see Belle visibly _shiver_ , assumingly with desire, and let out an adorable little whimper when Ruby’s head tilted a bit more than before, and Emma happened to see the slightest amount of pink from Ruby’s tongue. Or was that possibly Belle’s? Either way, Emma didn’t really seem to mind being treated to the fun little show that went on as she quietly munched on a piece of pizza as if it were popcorn.

 

            Ruby broke away from Belle what almost felt like too soon. It was a shame, really, given that Emma had rather enjoyed that turn of events, and was actually morbidly curious as to whether that was going to go any _further_ despite the fact Belle seemed to be _very_ interested in Gold, and had never before mentioned any form of interest in women.  
  
****  
  
            Once Belle felt Ruby pull away from her lips, that’s when the world seemed to continue spinning again. Truthfully, she didn’t see that coming in the slightest, but she’d have been lying if she said that hadn’t turned her on even a _little_. Beyond being briefly sexually confused, she didn’t really see any harm in what occurred. Although, strangely, she couldn’t help but notice that the way Ruby had kissed her just then reminded her vaguely of how _Mr. Gold_ kissed her. A little voice in the back of her mind couldn’t help but wonder if receiving very similar passionate kisses from both of these people meant that they both cared for her in ‘that way’… or was she imagining it? Either way, it was… _nice_ , and, she had to hand it to Ruby, she was a _very_ good teacher in this regard.  
  
            “I… sorry about that, Bells, I didn’t really know how to explain that in words very well, so…” Ruby backtracked, her face flushing a bit as she spoke.  
  
            This actually caught Belle off guard a little bit, considering she’d _never_ seen Ruby blush before, even when she was being heavily complimented or touched by a guy. Granted, this situation was different, in a way, but it was still quite the surprise regardless.  
  
            “Don’t worry about it, Rubes, it’s fine, I promise. Plus, I’m more of a visual learner anyways!” she said.  
  
            Belle wiggled her eyebrows playfully yet suggestively, very reminiscent of something Ruby herself might do, making them all burst into giggles with how silly this suddenly became again. They chatted, gossiped, munched on snacks, and drank wine until _very_ late at night (or the wee hours of the morning, depended on your perspective) having an absolutely marvelous time for the rest of their little ‘emergency meeting’, with Belle coming out of it infinitely more confident in herself. In the very least, she wasn’t as afraid of this anymore. ‘Armed’ with some newfound prowess tucked under her belt and more confidence, she bid her friends goodnight as she walked them to her front door, smiling all the while.  
  
            She walked back to her bedroom with a yawn, snuggling under her covers and drifting off to sleep in practically no time at all, with lovely dreams of Mr. Gold visiting her that night.  
  
*****

            Ruby knew she had drastically pushed her luck that night. Granted, Belle seemed to be completely okay with what happened, and obviously Emma didn’t seem to mind, or think less of either of them for it, but it still nagged at her.

  
            She had stopped lying to herself about her feelings for Belle quite some time ago, but she had promised herself that she _wouldn’t_ go in that direction with her. Belle could barely even mention having an interest in _guys_ purely due to her own embarrassment about it, so Ruby didn’t blame her for never bringing up possible interests in _women_ , let alone an interest in Ruby herself in the past… Hell, it still technically wasn’t brought up _tonight_! On top of that, she knew in her heart that Belle very clearly needed _friends_ , and, in turn, needed Ruby much more as purely a friend than a possible _girlfriend_.

 

            To be fair, Ruby was truly okay with simply being _friends_ with Belle. Belle was one of the most adorable people she’d ever met, with her being all bright smiles, kind words, and having a very good taste in books. Seeing Belle come out of her shell while living in Storybrooke over time was an absolute delight, and she felt honored that she helped bring upon that change. If Mr. Gold had truly beaten her to the punch and snatched Belle up for himself, then she’d support it full-heartedly, and concede to him with a smile, but oh _Lord_ , did she enjoy kissing Belle.  
  
            Belle had tasted very much like the wine they had been drinking, but Ruby could swear that she tasted the honey she knew Belle put in her tea sometimes, and she found that absolutely delightful. Even more so, she could tell that Belle was still vastly inexperienced with kissing given her almost complete lack of technique, but, in Ruby’s eyes, it only made her more charming. In truth, Ruby could’ve _absolutely_ explained her kissing technique to Belle in words, but some tiny voice inside her head had nagged at her that this could very well be her last chance with Belle in any way, shape or form, and she jumped on it, despite everything she had previously decided about the relationship she had with her friend.

 

            Her own impulsivity drove her _crazy_ sometimes, (and this was definitely one of those times) but this time, it was actually worth it. She knew it’d been a bit of a selfish move on her part, and she definitely owed Belle at _least_ one free burger from Granny’s to possibly make up for any awkwardness that could happen in the future, but all in all, she was satisfied. As she settled down to sleep, her heart silently bid Belle’s ‘goodnight’ and ‘good luck’ before finally letting her go for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #GLORIOUS EMMA WISDOM IS GLORIOUS  
> #this AU Emma totally ships Red Beauty  
> First time writing Emma in an OUAT fic! Also, if you wanna get REALLY technical, I suppose this is my first time writing Ruby too... She's in 'Gnomeland Security' also, but she was much more of a minor character there than she is here, and yes, I'm sure she'll appear at LEAST one more time in this fic, most likely with Emma in tow lol
> 
> Also SHERRILYN KENYON SHOUTOUT, HELL YEAH XD  
> Dunno if I'm just possibly projecting myself WAY too much into the Belle of this AU without meaning to or what, but she just strikes me as the type that would eat up Kenyon books like CANDY, especially given her being the adorable little bookworm she is X3
> 
> Lemme know your thoughts, and see you in the next chapter!!


	4. King of the Highway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Mr. Gold backstory, sadness, and a certain orange alley cat making his way into the story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....JUST FYI, SHIT GETS SAD AGAIN  
>  #oh god I'm sorry  
> #i didn't mean to  
> #it just fucking HAPPENED
> 
> *facedesk*
> 
> Events talked about in the first chapter are mentioned multiple times in this fic, with this one being one of them, and being one of the saddest accounts of them all.

           Around the time Belle was taking care of Duchess and was about to, somewhat unknowingly, have an ‘emergency meeting’ with her friends, Mr. Gold was finally wrapping up what all he was finishing up with at his pawn shop down the street and heading back to his home. As he drove home in his black Cadillac, and even while he was walking into the house, he felt like he was floating on air, still practically unable to believe he had won the affections of _Belle French_ of all people. She was so beautiful and smart, while he was...well-  
  
            His thoughts were interrupted by a meow that practically sounded like a growl. He looked down nervously, only to chuckle a bit at the stocky orange cat that stared up at him with an irritated look on his face.  
  
            “Yes, yes, I _know_ Thomas, I meant to be home an hour ago, but I had to finish polishing the table I was working on. It’s going to a customer tomorrow, and you want to _eat_ now, don’t you?” he asked him.  
  
            Thomas seemed to practically roll his eyes at him before trotting into the kitchen and sitting in front of his food dish.  
  
            Gold simply smiled at him as he fetched some canned salmon out of the refrigerator.  
  
            “Plus how else could I afford to let you have a ‘salmon night’ every week?” he said, shaking his head as he dished out the salmon into Thomas’ bowl.  
  
            Thomas seemed to give Gold a bit of an appreciative nod before leaning down to eat his dinner, while Gold went to reheat some leftovers for himself.  
  
            It’s funny… Gold hadn’t really thought to tell Belle that he, too, had fostered a cat that had come from the dearly departed Madam’s mansion. Oh well, she was bound to find out soon enough once she came over to see his place. Speaking of which, he _definitely_ needed to clean up a bit.  
  
            His house was full of interesting knick-knacks, objects that were too big to store in his shop, and all kinds of things that he was sure would catch Belle’s eye in no time, but he didn’t necessarily want to look like a _slob_ either. It had been a fine bachelor pad for him, and eventually Thomas, to live in, but that time in his life was over, and, if he played his cards right, maybe over for _good_ at some point in the future.  
  
            As he began to clean, he happened to come across some things that he’d next to forgotten about in the past few months, particularly things that had also belonged to the Madam. The memories came flooding back as if they were yesterday, giving him a newfound determination to bring these things back to their former glory…

  
            _When the madam had passed away, and the city had to decide what to do with the estate, and, by extension, everything in it, Mr. Gold had jumped at the opportunity to ‘help out’. This was one of the few properties he actually hadn’t owned, but based off the glimpses he got of the interior of the mansion, there was the potential for a_ lot _of very valuable things inside. Based off the looks he was getting, he was sure that they all believed he just wanted to sell off a bunch of her possessions for a bit more than a pretty penny, but Gold knew otherwise. He wouldn’t dare tell them why he was_ really _interested in ‘helping out’ with the mansion as it were (he had a reputation to maintain after all), but if this was what he had to endure in order to be involved, so be it.  
  
            Quite a while before she had passed away, she visited Mr. Gold in his shop one day, inquiring about having him restore some of her things, along with older furniture she had no need for. She wished to donate the furniture to the library before its grand reopening, and paid him quite handsomely to make use of his services at her mansion instead of bringing it all to his shop. He had had his doubts about her request, even going as far as to tell the Madam just that, but she had simply laughed, insisting that it truly would be worth his while, and not just for the money. This didn’t exactly make him feel any better, but he did as she requested anyways, coming up to her mansion once or twice a week to work on the furniture, closing his store for the day when he did so.  
  
            Considering that he was not exactly a social butterfly, his first visit was a bit nerve-wracking for him. He didn’t exactly have a romantic interest in the Madam or anything like that, but she was still _ incredibly _refined, possibly even more than Gold himself, and it left him not really knowing what to do or how to act. He rang the doorbell, looking down at the ground as he waited for an answer.  
  
            His head shot up at the sound of the door opening, revealing the madam who quickly welcomed him inside with a jovial smile on her face all the while. He knew she was kind to pretty much everyone (even Regina) from what he’d seen of her in the past, but it still hadn’t ceased to surprise him when this graceful woman nearing ninety had practically pushed him into a chair in her sitting room, insisting he wait for a moment while she poured the tea she had started to prepare, even bothering to ask if he wanted a cup.  
  
            As awaited her return, he began to notice more and more cats running around the estate, with some of them pausing to look him over. One of which included a black cat with a white chest wearing a little red ribbon briefly sitting in front of him, cocking his head in curiosity before an orange cat with a light blue ribbon suddenly tackled him, batting him with his paws playfully as they rolled around the floor.  
  
            Their playful mood seemed to immediately evaporate when the Madam returned from her kitchen with a tea tray in her hands and a gorgeous, regal looking white cat in tow, gracefully trotting by the Madam’s side until she approached the black cat and the orange cat. The white cat briefly cleaned their fur before nudging the backs of their heads as if dismissing them from the room. The Madam looked upon them fondly, saying something about those two cats loving to play together ever since they were kittens before serving him a cup of tea, and then sitting across from him, grabbing her own cup. The white cat jumped into her lap and curled up lovingly, nudging the woman’s hand, but never taking her eyes off of Gold for a single second. He could only assume that this was the fabled Duchess, the cat that was rumored by the citizens of Storybrooke to have virtually never left the Madam’s side from the time Duchess was small, being fiercely loyal all the while, and very protective of her.  
  
            It had definitely taken some probing, but the Madam finally got Gold to open up and have a pleasant, casual conversation with her, making the time fly by until it was practically time for him to leave for the day. Mr. Gold was a bit confused when the Madam began to dismiss him for the day, insisting that he hadn’t even done any work on her furniture yet, and should do at least _ something _to earn his keep for the day. The Madam; however, wasn’t having any of it, brushing his worries off with a dismissive, but kind, wave of her hand.  
             
            “You can’t fool this old woman, Gold. I’ve seen how people treat you, and how you’ve treated them in return. I will not concede to either ‘side’ being right or wrong, since I don’t know exactly what either of you could’ve done to encourage the behaviors I’ve seen, but _ you _need a friend. No matter how much you may deny it, or insist otherwise, you need companionship just like everyone else. Opportunity has quite literally knocked on your door; but the question is, will you let me in?” she said.  
  
            He was practically too stunned to speak as her hands barely grazed his back, further guiding him to her front door until he was just outside of it.  
  
            “I’d like to be your _ friend _Mr. Gold. At least think about it, won’t you?” she said.  
  
            She bid him good evening, and closed the door, leaving him speechless, and his mouth agape with shock. How this woman just managed to read him like an open book, he would never know, but he _ did _know that he was absolutely going to take her up on her offer._  
           

 _From that point on, when he went to fix her furniture, it always started with a cup of tea, with them telling one another about their week, or whatever was on their minds. She played old musical records, telling him about her history as a French movie star, and him, in turn, telling her about growing up in Glasgow, and the brief amount of time he was a simple sheepherder. No one would ever know just how much they enjoyed each other’s company, for the wise old woman knew better than to destroy the reputation Gold had built for himself in public, always telling him that when he was ready to remove the ‘mask’ he wore, she’d be there to support him, no matter what.  
  
            Then, one fateful day, Mr. Gold had arrived at her place to be greeted by Mrs. Potts, a maid that the Madam would hire on occasion to help clean her estate and care for her cats. The maid rather shyly told him that the Madam wanted to speak to him upstairs, leading him to her bedchamber. Gold knew, despite that it hardly showed, the Madam had been growing ill over time. She leaned on her cane more and more by the week, and today she couldn’t seem get out of bed.  
  
            The madam was sitting upright, leaning on a grand headboard behind her. The Madam looked frailer than he’d ever seen her in this moment. Her skin was paler than normal, making her already thin form look more skeleton-like. Her silver hair flowed down far past her shoulders, and practically sparkled with even the slightest movement, making him smile a bit. Duchess, faithful as ever, laid by her side. She purred softly as the Madam weakly petted the beautiful white cat’s fur. Gold watched them in silence for a moment, marveling at how, for the first time in _ years _, he actually felt genuinely sad for someone other than himself.  
  
            The madam’s head seemed to perk up once she noticed his presence, inviting him to pull up a chair next to her. Even her voice was weaker than normal as they began to chat like they normally did, with Gold growing progressively more concerned for her as he watched her talk. After not too long, the madam had insisted she was tired and would like to sleep for a moment, but that he was more than welcome to stay and make himself at home until she got up.  
  
            She never awoke.  
  
            Gold had witnessed her taking her last breath, beginning to weep in spite of himself once he knew she was gone. His ‘mask’ slipped off in this moment, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care when he could swear even Duchess began to weep, meowing louder than normal after nudging one of the Madam’s hands, somehow realizing it wasn’t going to stroke her soft head any longer. After a while, he took one of her hands, gently placing a kiss on the back of it, before lightly kissing the woman’s forehead. _

_He cleaned himself up, stood up as tall and strong as he could muster, and then went to fetch Mrs. Potts to tell her what had occurred. She called a hospital as Gold left the estate. As much as he wanted to stay by the Madam’s side, he knew it would do him no good to be seen there. For all he knew, the citizens of Storybrooke would most likely think he had murdered the old woman if any of them caught wind of him being present at the time of her death._  
  
            _Mr. Gold ‘helping’ out at her estate mostly involved telling movers how to handle the furniture the old woman possessed when the renovations on the mansion were being done, but his other form of ‘help’ came about in a way no one had expected._

_The Madam’s cats were all being transferred to foster homes while the mansion was being worked on, but quite a few of them ended up being a bit crammed into the local animal shelter. Mr. Gold had caught wind of this, with his curiosity getting the better of him as he practically pushed past a rather surprised David Nolan and Mary Margaret into the wing of the shelter that held the cats. He tried not to let it show, but he couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed in a way when Duchess was nowhere to be found, growing progressively more concerned for her._

_  
None of the madam’s cats were necessarily up for adoption, per say, as of yet, but they were in the shelter nonetheless, and some of them didn’t seem to be too happy about it. One of which included a stocky-looking, disgruntled orange cat. The cats definitely had very distinct personalities, but this one in particular seemed to have the most distinct one of all. As the cat looked around rather nonchalantly, Gold couldn’t help but notice when it laid eyes on a female cat, and he could swear the cat was making_ eyes _at the female, up until, presumably, he got ‘caught’, staring Mr. Gold in the face with a flash of guilt in his eyes. As Mr. Gold and this mysterious cat saw each other for the first time, he couldn’t help but notice the way the cat almost_ smiled _at him, as if the cat were up to something._  
  
            _Mary Margaret came into the large room, bursting the little bubble that seemed to be around Gold and the mysterious cat with her happy-go-lucky chatter that, thankfully, seemed to be aimed at David and not at him. He couldn’t help but notice that Mary Margaret came up to the cat’s cage, cooing at him as if this were a kitten rather than a full grown cat, and Mr. Gold could swear he could see the cat practically rolling his eyes at her, particularly when Mary Margaret managed to call it ‘Mittens’. Was it just him, or did the cat take on a look of disgust when she called him that?_

 _  
When David tried approaching the cage, he didn’t fare all that much better, with the cat growling at him a bit, but seemed to be at least a little more at ease when David didn’t call the cat ‘Mittens’, but called it ‘Casey’. Eventually, David rushed away from it when the cat swiped at him with one of its white paws. David seemingly hadn’t noticed, but Gold managed to see that the cat hadn’t actually used its claws when shooing David away, probably incredibly unlike how an average cat would’ve reacted. How curious…  
  
            Strangely enough, this cat started to remind him of himself.  
  
            Gold slowly approached the cat’s cage, eventually leaning down enough to see it eye-to-eye, despite the difficulties with his leg. Part of him couldn’t believe he was doing this, looking around, double checking to make sure no other human was around to witness this before turning back to face the strange orange cat.  
  
            “Is your name ‘Casey’?” he asked it.  
  
            The cat perked up at the mention of the name, staring Gold in the face now. The two of them returned to the odd little staring contest they seemed to have started earlier, with the cat cocking his head at him curiously.  
  
            “You don’t belong in here…” Mr. Gold said solemnly.  
  
            The cat let out a lower pitched meow, as if in agreement.  
  
            “I can take you to a place you’d prefer _ vastly _more than this if you’d like.” He said.  
  
            The cat practically _ nodded _, pawing at the lock on the cage.  
  
            Soon enough, much to the continued surprise of Mary Margaret and David, the cat supposedly named ‘Casey’ found a new foster home, and, was walking through Mr. Gold’s abode, exploring every nook and cranny he could find not too long afterward.  
  
            “Ah, so you like my ‘treasures’ do you?” Mr. Gold asked him.  
  
            Casey didn’t seem to be acknowledging him much, so Gold figured it was best to leave him alone for a bit.  
  
            Not too long later, while Gold happened to be sipping a cup of tea, he heard a bit of a ‘THUMP’ noise come from his living room. Thankfully, once Gold went to explore, he found there was no real damage done. Casey had simply knocked a book off of a bookshelf full of books Mr. Gold once had in his shop, but hadn’t sold for quite a long time. He leaned down to pick up the old, fallen book, immediately doing a double take at the book’s cover. It was a collection of works by a man named Dylan Thomas.  
  
            Gold had read this book cover to cover, and had even memorized some of the man’s better-known poems, with his favorite being _ “And Death Shall Have No Dominion” _.  
  
            As he thought of this, something else clicked in his mind. He briefly remembered the Madam once mentioning her similar love of this poem, always saying the main line of the poem with what felt like triumph. Mr. Gold was not normally one for superstition, but he knew that cats couldn’t read, and this event didn’t feel like some sort of freaky coincidence. He then looked up at Casey, where the cat simply sat on the shelf the book came from, staring right back at him.  
  
            “Something tells me you deserve a classier name than ‘Casey’. Would ‘Thomas’ suit you, perhaps?” he asked.  
  
            The cat jumped down from his spot to Gold’s side, where he briefly rubbed against Gold’s leg lovingly before the cat’s mask of indifference seemed to slide back on, with _ Thomas _now trotting away to God-only-knew where.  
  
            Mr. Gold watched him walk away with a bit of a chuckle and a smile on his face.  
  
            “‘Thomas’ it is, then.” He said._  
  
*****  
  
            Mr. Gold now held a lovely vase along with some gorgeous jewelry in his hands that once belonged to the Madam. He couldn’t help but smile sadly as he placed these objects on his dining room table. Yes, it was about time to continue the work he had been assigned by the Madam. It was the least he could do for someone that he did, in fact, consider a dear friend.  
  
            Little did he know that Thomas had seen him handling some of the Madam’s possessions, almost smiling when Gold sat down and began working on these trinkets.

            Thomas approached him, rubbing himself against Gold’s legs, and eventually jumping up on the table, watching him work with him nimble fingers until Thomas seemed to doze off a bit. Mr. Gold broke away from his work to scratch Thomas behind the ears, earning him a quiet purr.  
  
            “ _Gracious_ you’re jealous today,” Gold chuckled. “I certainly hope you won’t be too jealous when _Belle_ comes over here…” he said.  
  
            His thoughts drifted to Belle once again, but not before thoughts of the Madam entered his head, realizing that his mask was slipping for yet another person in his life.  
  
            He could almost feel the Madam smiling down at him from above.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ABRAHAM DELACEY GIUSEPPE CASEY THOMAS O' MALLEY MOTHER FUCKERS! WOO!
> 
> Also, you can read 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion' here:  
> http://genius.com/Dylan-thomas-and-death-shall-have-no-dominion-annotated  
> (it's fucking BEAUTIFUL btw, OMG.)
> 
> Don't get TOO sad just yet though, since POSH CAT CHAPTER IS COMING UP NEXT (FINALLY)!!!!


	5. If You Want To Turn Me On...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...Play your horn don't spare the tone, and blow a little soul into the tune..."
> 
> (....AMIRIGHT?!?! *wiggles eyebrows suggestively* *shot*)
> 
> ....But no srsly if people are actually still reading this weird shit, I love you so much <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains the November 2016 Monthly Rumbelling prompt "I'm not going to stop poking me until you give me attention"!! :D
> 
> (*granted, it's a TOUCH tweaked, mostly to fit the character's 'speech patterns' and the situation...so to speak.... and it's probably VERY obvious who's doing the poking here XD)

           Duchess was a proper, sophisticated lady (cat) with quite the pedigree, who just happened to have… _needs_ , just like any other sophisticated lady (cat) with a pedigree. At least, this was what Duchess repeated to herself like a mantra on a daily basis, hoping that this thought would keep the ‘mask’ she wore in front of others firmly in place. Every day she hoped it would fool _herself_ into believing that she actually was as refined as others believed she was, but no matter how hard she tried, there was no escaping that she was what Americans might call a _“sham”_.  
  
            No one, not even the dearly departed Madam, would know _exactly_ what kind of life she lived before the Madam opened her home to her. No one would ever know that she had once, in fact, been a common stray, using her good looks and pretty meow to coax a scrap of food or two from the people of Paris. Her fur was commonly a dull grey color back then, but her radiant, blue eyes shined like sapphires, practically hypnotizing humans, and other cats for that matter, to give her the things she wanted and needed.

 

            She had no recollection of her own mother or father, let alone any potential advice a parent might give about life. How was she to know that occasionally “mingling” with alley cats she met in the past was potentially a ‘bad’ idea? How was she supposed to know to stay away from the _one_ street where members of the Paris Animal Control roamed the most, when she was never told of it in the first place? No one was there to guide her, and she took care of herself and herself only in order to survive, since that was simply how life worked.  
  
            Duchess barely remembered the day she was plucked off the street by Animal Control, and dumped into an animal shelter. She had clawed and hissed at the humans who tried to handle her through virtually the entire process of rehabilitation, but, nonetheless, the time came when she was completely _clean_ for probably the first time in her life since she had come into the world in the first place. Much to the staff’s, and Duchess’, surprise, her fur was actually a beautiful pure white color, rather than the grey colored cat they presumed her to be.

 

            Once she fully adjusted to the feeling of human touch, people loved to brush out her fur and tried to encourage her to play with toys. She was quite the lovely cat indeed, and the workers at the shelter couldn’t help but love her, pampering her like the shelter was her real home, rather than simply a roof over her head for the time being. The humble little food bowl she was given never ran empty, and, more often than not, her belly was full of nutritious cat food, since she found this food to be far better than anything she’d ever tasted before. In fact, much to her embarrassment (despite it making the staff members of the animal shelter very happy to see), there were even times her belly was distended from having eaten so much. She _did_ want to keep up with her appearance after all, now that people were paying attention to her like this…

 

            Everything was going swimmingly, until an appointment with a veterinarian changed her life forever. According to the nice man’s diagnosis, she no longer had to care for just herself anymore, but also for not one, not two, but _three_ other little beings that were slowly beginning to take shape within her.   
  
            Time seemed to go by in a blur from that point on, with poor Duchess having to be poked and prodded more often than she’d like by the humans, until one day it all came to a screeching halt. An older gentleman appeared at the shelter, seeking a cat that would be suited as a companion cat, and wouldn’t be too ‘wild’ or ‘rowdy’. Of course, the kind folks at the shelter showed him around the cat section of the shelter, but once he laid eyes on Duchess, he knew it was meant to be. Apparently Duchess somehow fit his description quite well given that the folks at the shelter could barely get the proper paperwork signed before the man took her from the shelter to the place that would become her new home.

 

            Duchess was a touch older now (not _too_ old, mind you), but, no matter what happened to her in life, there were three events she would never forget:  
  
            The first was when the mysterious man who picked her up from the shelter decided to stuff her in a box one day, only for her to be lifted out of it by a gorgeous, older woman, whose dark-colored eyes absolutely sparkled when she saw Duchess for the first time. She remembered being held so gently in her frail hands, and feeling more loved by that elegant woman than she had by anyone in her life, even the kind people at the animal shelter. Madame Adelaide Bonfamille undoubtedly felt the same thing Duchess did at that time, since a beautiful, unbreakable, loving bond was created that day, and never wavered even once.

 

            In practically no time at all, other people who paid the mansion a visit would see the Madam with her beautiful cat by her side, and began joking that while the Madam was, well, _the Madam_ , of the house, _surely_ this gorgeous white cat had to be the Duchess of the household, seeing how she carried herself so gracefully, almost like a queen. The little nickname seemed to stick so much that the madam decided to rename her beautiful cat Duchess, feeling that it really did fit her personality and looks. The man who originally adopted Duchess visited the mansion a few more times as well, but one day he stopped visiting altogether. Duchess was unsure whether the poor man had passed away or if maybe his and the Madam’s relationship ‘fizzled out’ (whether it was romantic or not, she had no clue), but, either way, she was always grateful to him since he united Duchess and the Madam.  
  
            The second memory she would not soon forget was the day her three beautiful kittens were born. Thankfully, the Madam not only didn’t seem to mind that Duchess had been pregnant, but was _thrilled_ to potentially have ‘little ones’ running around to keep her company, and ‘liven things up a bit more’. Duchess’ feelings on the matter; however, were as mixed as the colors of her kittens’ furs. When she first found out she was ‘expecting’, she had imagined three little white kittens, all as beautiful as herself following her everywhere and being just as ogled as she, but, much to her surprise, an _orange_ kitten, a _black_ kitten and _a_ white kitten were born. She knew in her heart that she’d love them unconditionally no matter what, purely because they were _hers_ , but she did still find herself conflicted.  
  
            She hadn’t the faintest idea as to whom _exactly_ sired these kittens. She could deal with raising these little kittens on her own no doubt, but deep down, she knew that there would come a day when they’d ask who their father was. How was she supposed to explain that she didn’t know the answer? How would they react knowing that their own _mother_ didn’t know who their _father_ was? She knew she wouldn’t be able to bear lying to them, no matter how soon this question came up, and fully expected the worst. It was one thing to not know who _either_ of your parents were, sometimes trying to imagine what they were like during some sleepless nights, but it was quite different when one was present, and the other was just _not_. Moreover, not even knowing if that parent was alive or dead, what they could be doing now, and Lord only knew what kind of stress that would impose on her poor little dears as they grew up without a father…           

 

            These thoughts all flew through her head faster than speeding bullets, but as she heard her adorable little ones gently ‘mew’ for the first time, and, eventually, open their little eyes to have their first glimpse at the world around them, her heart absolutely _soared_ , finally realizing that she was put on this Earth to be a companion and a mother, and _this_ was where she was meant to be.  
  
            The third memory, which still made her heart ache to the present day was the Madam’s passing. She wasn’t blind, and she was no fool; Duchess _knew_ that it was bound to happen someday, but that didn’t make it any less painful in the end. She had tried _so_ hard to stay strong in front of her three ‘kittens’ (who were _definitely_ ‘kittens’ no longer, but she’d never look at them as anything else), and happened to seek out her smooth-talking lover Thomas O’Malley for comfort, but when left alone with her grief, it was almost too much.   
  
            When Belle entered her life, it was like a certain fog had been lifted. While absolutely _no one_ could ever replace the Madam in her heart, Belle’s presence brought a kind of comfort that took her a very long time to identify. The lonely and heart-broken, yet still cheerful and positive human girl with a heart of gold reminded her of _herself_ during those days she barely remembered when she not only looked incredibly different, but she _felt_ incredibly different because she was still trying to find out who she really was and what she was meant to do. Something deep in her heart had told her that Belle truly needed her in her life, and by God she would fill that void if it killed her.  
  
            From that day on, Duchess watched over Belle similarly to how she had once watched her three tiny kittens, making sure they were cleaned up properly, always respected their mother as well as others, and, above all, protected them from harm of any kind. Granted, no matter how much Duchess wanted to constantly be the picture of ‘prim and proper’, she couldn’t help but fall into ‘typical’ cat behaviors sometimes, which _she_ absolutely couldn’t stand, but Belle seemed to be quite amused by. After all, it simply wouldn’t do to see Belle not taking her ‘mother’ seriously, but, in all honesty, if it made her ‘kitten’ happy, she didn’t really mind it so much.  
  
            A lot of these ‘typical’ cat behaviors seemed to crop up in the morning when Belle would, or sometimes _wouldn’t_ , wake up. Of _course_ Duchess had the right to be concerned when her ‘kitten’ slept _far_ past when she normally would! How else would her Belle get anything done (such as feeding and brushing Duchess), which _needed_ to get done during the day? Honestly, she should know better!   
  
            Duchess tended to nudge Belle gently with her nose or lick her cheek, softly mewing as if to say “Isn’t it a beautiful day? It’s time to get up, darling!”. As much as she tried to be patient with her, there were simply days when her ‘kitten’ _just. wouldn’t. listen_ , thus needed to be ‘poked’ awake. Duchess would proceed to almost quite literally ‘poke’ Belle on the arm, sometimes one of Belle’s breasts (much to Belle’s embarrassment, poor thing), or her tummy, as if to say “So help me, I _won’t_ stop poking you until you wake up (and give me attention)!”  
  
            Overall, Duchess was rather pleased with her lovely ‘kitten’, happily admiring the progress she was making at turning Belle into a proper lady, and making sure to give her the attention and love that Duchess’ own parents never gave her. Granted, she _did_ wish that her residence was a touch bigger so Duchess could give her ‘kitten’ better posture lessons as she’d seen the Madam do for younger human girls at one time in her life, but she figured ‘baby steps’ would have to do for now.   
  
            Although, to be fair, even Duchess herself wasn’t exactly the best ‘example’ herself, either, even to this day, so she couldn’t criticize her Belle _too_ much…  
  
            For goodness sake, there was a day when Belle happened to catch Duchess in a rather… _compromising_ position in the master bedroom closet, which may or may not have contained fresh, clean laundry that felt and smelled _far_ too good to leave alone. After all, it _was_ a touch difficult to ‘hold one’s head high’ when it happens to have a pair of black panties on top of it, practically wearing them like a ‘mask’ of some sort, and being stretched out lasciviously on top of a nice, fluffy towel.  
  
            That wasn’t about to change the fact that Duchess was wary of the people her ‘kitten’ interacted with though. She had every right in the world to be concerned that her little ‘kitten’ could possibly go down a dark path like her ‘mother’ once had treaded in the past, and she couldn’t help but feel like that Ruby girl (and _possibly_ Emma…maybe…) could lead her down that road… If nothing else, at _least_ Duchess could keep an eye on things when the three friends were all in her territory, so there’s that, but Lord only knew what could happen if Duchess wasn’t there watching out for her… It sometimes made her shudder to think about. Much like that time Ruby actually _kissed_ her Belle. Duchess nearly had a [proper lady] cat-sized heart attack at that gesture, and was about two seconds away from taking a very un-lady-like swipe of a claw to Ruby’s face for next to forcing herself on her little ‘kitten’, until it became apparent that Belle didn’t mind it so much. She was able to let it slide when that became clear, but was still on high alert from that point on.  
  
            Interestingly, this sort of feeling _didn’t_ happen with Mr. Gold. Granted, Duchess _did_ know him already… Just like the Madam, Duchess knew what this man was _really_ like, despite what others thought about him, and, frankly, it made her quite happy that a man Duchess, in a way, already trusted was the one to win Belle’s heart. Sure, she’d given him a good, old-fashioned thorough ‘once over’ when Mr. Gold first entered her and Belle’s abode, but it was only natural. After all, she _had_ to be sure Mr. Gold was _serious_ about what he was possibly getting into, here…  
  
            Little did she know that that was going to become a _literal_ statement much faster than she anticipated… She watched the two humans making odd little noises, turning bright red, moving strangely, and just acting _strange_ … It was _so_ incredibly awkward to be around; however, she had no right to ‘complain’, really, since she couldn’t help but feel like she had more-or-less brought this on herself, purposefully showing Mr. Gold the machine her ‘kitten’ bought to bring herself pleasure with.   
  
            If Duchess was allowed to have ‘her’ laundry, she figured it was only fair that her little ‘kitten’ be allowed the pleasures of that strange purple thing Belle had hidden under a pillow for whatever reason, and, even more so, whatever pleasurable things Mr. Gold could provide her with (and by the sound of things, he could bring her _quire_ a lot).   
  
            God help her, though, Duchess couldn’t help but feel just the tiniest bit jealous of her ‘kitten’ though… Belle’s little whimpers and cries [that she couldn’t help but overhear from the master bedroom closet] she emitted reminded her _so_ much of each and every noise her handsome Thomas could emit from her… _Oh_ how her Thomas was so handsome… Speaking of which, she couldn’t help but wonder where he’d gone off to…  
  
            At the time of the Madam’s passing, he would occasionally sit by her side, trying to bring her some comfort, but stopped when she said she needed to be alone for a while. She hadn’t seen him since that point, and couldn’t help but wonder if he was okay.   
  
            Duchess shook her head a little. Where was her mind right now? She had to help her ‘kitten’ get ready for her dinner date with Mr. Gold! She nodded to herself a bit before entering Belle’s room, meowing softly as she gazed upon Belle’s naked form as she tried on pair after pair of panties and matching bras, wondering which would look best. Thankfully, she had inherited a bit of skills in that field from the Madam giving fashion advice and whatnot.  
  
            Yes, her ‘kitten’ was doing _just_ fine, and she couldn’t be prouder…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOOOOOOOORESHADOWING! :D
> 
> First off, IRL, my parents never divorced (or even THOUGHT about it EVER for that matter), and are still together, so my knowledge on divorce, having step-parents, etc. is mostly from knowing a bunch of people whose parents ARE divorced and who have step parents, etc., so mucho apologies if those subject matters are written a bit "stereotypically", for lack of a better term, here... first time I've truly attempted to write about that subject in a fic, so hopefully I did at least a LITTLE bit good?? idfk
> 
> Also, weirdly, this was the only chapter (so far) where, even when I had a decent amount of time to write in a day, my muse was just kinda like   
> *writes like 2 paragraphs MAYBE*   
> *two seconds later* AHAHAHAHA NOPE FUCK YOU *two giant middle fingers*  
> Rinse and repeat for about 2-3 weeks. >.>
> 
> Which is SO weird, cause I friggin SAILED through the previous two chapters where I was kinda like "oh fuck I SORT OF know what I wanna say here, but not sure how it's gonna turn out" versus THIS chapter practically SUCKED to write, even though basically up until I actually started to write it was like OH MY GOD POSH CAT CHAPTER IS GONNA BE THE BEST CHAPTER EVAR YAAAAAAAAAAAAS *fist pump*
> 
> Do still let me know what y'all think, and see you next chapter!! <3


End file.
